At a time when Kenya’s matatu industry is battling a bad reputation, one crew from Ongata Rongai is proving that compassion still rides our roads and that “mat za Ronga ni noma” (Rongai matatus are of class).
On what started as an ordinary day, Viola Nekesa says she boarded an Audiophile matatu operated by Expresso Sacco from the Nairobi CBD, headed to Rongai. At the time she was boarding, Viola says she was not feeling okay and wanted to be home in the shortest time possible.
“I was not feeling well. I was standing outside Naivas waiting for a bus when this matatu pulled up. I boarded it because I knew I needed to get home quickly and seek treatment,” Nekesa recalled in a heartwarming post she wrote on Facebook.
What Nekesa didn’t anticipate was how fast her condition would deteriorate.
“By the time we were at Bunyala roundabout, I was struggling to breathe. I was sweating all over, I’d removed my sweater. I tapped some people and asked for space near the door. But when we got to the roundabout, I could hardly speak. I was trembling, shaking,” she said.
That’s when the matatu crew swung into action. The conductor, who introduced himself as Telvo—or Telvin—immediately alerted the driver, Benson Kana.
“I told the driver we had an emergency. He turned off the music and offered to take her straight to the hospital. We had already passed Nairobi West Hospital, so we had to reverse the matatu, full of passengers,” said Telvo in an interview with NTV.
The team rushed Viola to the hospital’s emergency wing, helping her into a bed where treatment began.
“They checked my oxygen levels and did first aid. A few minutes later, one of the conductors said, ‘I’m okay to be here.’ He stayed with me until I got a transfer letter and accompanied me to Sinai Hospital in Rongai. We got there around midnight,” Nekesa stated while in her hospital bed.
In a world often too busy to care, Telvo’s words hit differently:
“Kindness doesn’t cost you anything. But arrogance will take you nowhere. If I were arrogant to her, maybe we could have lost her. God forbid.”
Viola, now recovering, couldn’t hold back her gratitude:
“Words can never be enough. Thank you, Audiophile Expresso Sacco. You saved my life. God bless you.”
The story has struck a chord with Kenyans and the business community, especially as the matatu sector grapples with growing public concern.
Accusations of indiscipline, blaring music, and rising accidents have painted the industry in a bad light.
Just last month, Super Metro Sacco faced suspension after a passenger reportedly died following an altercation with the crew. The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) later restored the license after inspections and crew sensitization.
