Matatu!

Just as I’ve shown Boda Boda‘s & Tuk Turk’s moving all around Kenya. Matatu are mini buses that are used for transportation here. These little 14 seater vans will take you to any destination starting at 50 shillings (50cents USD).

Matatu comes from the Swahili number Tatu which means 3. Kenyans named it Matatu because in the beginning you would pay Tatu shillings (3cents USD) to go wherever you need. This was when it was mostly run by the government.

They are no longer run by the government. Now you need to have a fleet of vans (100 minimum) to form your own SACCO (Savings & Credit Cooperative) which would be privately owned.

These little buses have spunk. No one bus looks the same! Often decorate, many Matatu feature portraits of famous people or slogans and sayings…

Here are some shots of the Matatu’s I’ve seen while hustling and bustling around…