Learnings
- Online votes allow the public’s voice to be heard
- Awards incentivise workers to make transport safe for the public
- Festivals help cultivate a culture of safety and encourage the transmission of safe practices
Young people in Kenya’s informal settlements told us that they feel at risk when using public transportation, particularly young women, who often experience sexual harassment in transportation hubs and vehicles. This threat restricts mobility, impacting everyday freedoms and limiting the ability of young people to make the most of opportunities lying outside their local communities.
One of the most important elements of the transport sector in Kenya are the private buses known as matatus. These buses are often the cheapest and most convenient way to traverse the city. They occupy a special place in Kenyan society and there are festivals celebrating matatu culture.
The following video highlights the passion for matatu culture in Kenya:
Matatus are a hugely charismatic way of travel, but as the video suggests, safety is not necessarily the first priority for operators.
“A time will come when our transport system will be safe for everyone irrespective of your age, gender, disability or any other identity that is used to discriminate and violate people.”
To make young people feel safer when using public transport in Kenya, various approaches were undertaken by the Safe and Inclusive Cities (SAIC) programme. One initiative was the birth of a new annual matatu festival, this time focusing on the celebration of matatu safety culture. Every year it is held in Nairobi’s largest informal settlement, Kibera, and brings together transport sector stakeholders with transport users. There are awards given to those who go the extra mile to make transport safe and inclusive for everyone in Kenya.
The four main prizes are awarded for:
Best Conductor
Best Driver
Best Matatu
Best Sacco (government-registered savings cooperative)
The winners are chosen by an online public vote. Ahead of the 2021 Matatu Festival, nearly 3,000 votes were cast to decide the winner. The awards hold transport workers accountable for their implementation of safety measures through positive reinforcement. The festival builds on safety trainings and awareness raising efforts happening across the transport sector in Kenya, though SAIC.
Matatu Festival raises further awareness about the issue of insecurity in transport and aims to attract more stakeholders to take these issues seriously and take action to make the transport safer for users. The festival is an important part of the overall goal of ensuring a culture of safety is rooted in the transport sector. All workers must strive to make the sector safe for all, irrespective of age, sex or disability.
Watch this short documentary to learn more about mutatu culture in Kenya:
Learn more about
