Going home after a long day’s work to have a rest has been a good way of getting relieved for many working in the busy city of Nairobi. But have you thought of getting into a matatu and instead of enjoying your ride back home, some strangers just gets into the vehicle on the way and robs you all of your valuables?
Well, Passengers plying Thika Road who have been victims of matatu pickpockets have issued a travel alert for matatu number plate KAM 430V which has been marked notorious for robberies along the busy superhighway.
The victims have shared a similar narrative of how the robbers masquerading as passengers including the driver and conductor steal from them before dropping them off at a different destination.
According to the victims who have been robbed in the same matatu, there are usually four characters in the matatu who colludes in robbing passengers. They include the driver, conductor, two male and two females.
09:47 A Thika Road Matatu KAM 430 V put on the spot by netizens for allegedly collaborating with thugs to pickpocket passengers.
Via pic.twitter.com/HNkHJSJv33 via @opera_kenya— Ma3Route (@Ma3Route) July 15, 2019
It is said that when a passenger boards the matatu along the way, the front door in the matatu stops working and can not close two minutes later. The conductor and one person seated at the front helps to close the door whereas the driver complains about safety.
The two ladies then start screaming for fear and in the confusion, the front seat guy pickpockets your phone. The conductor will then later say that he has seen something fall from the matatu. It is at this time you check your phone if was is in the pocket and realize that it is gone.
According to one victim the matatu was labeled Chania Sacco. Other victims have testified that the matatu goes different routes at different times including Ngong road and Mombasa road.
One victim of a similar incidence along Waiyaki Way also narrates how he was robbed. He boarded a matatu at Lions, Westlands. On reaching the Sarit turn, he was told something has dropped.
He alighted to go and look for his phone not knowing he was already robbed. He tracked down the phone to the person who bought it two months later with the help of DCI.
One victim on his way to Baba Dogo narrates how unknown men boarded their matatu along the busy superhighway at around 9 pm but along the way, the men who happened to be thugs ordered all the passengers to remove all their clothes together with other belongings before being ordered to leave the matatu naked.
The victims have called for the arrests of such matatu owners.
