Matatus parked at the Nyeri bus terminus on Monday. Drivers and jobless youths have entered into an informal arrangement in which the latter occupy seats to lure passengers so as to fill the vehicles quickly. Photo/JOSEPH KANYI
Matatu drivers in Nairobi have entered into a rather odd agreement with a large number of unemployed youth, offering them money to sit as fake passengers.
Scenes of smartly dressed young men and women with folders and A4 envelopes full of CVs and academic testimonials have become a common sight in Nairobi, moving from office to office trying to convince potential employers to give them a chance.
From midday, having unsuccessfully tried their luck, the jobseekers sit in what has now become commonly referred to as “jobless corners”, to ponder their woes, and share with other jobseekers the pain of living another day without work.
Amid repeated warnings to Kenya from international organisations and commentators that its unemployed youth now represent a ticking time-bomb, the rising anger of these cast-aside youngsters is on open display.
Many blame the system for conspiring to frustrate the youth, in anger that runs from the biting of lips and clenching of fists to the rebuking of the entire value of Kenya’s education system.
Daniel Thuo, a Bachelor of Arts in Education (Mathematics major) graduate at a local university, tore up his original university certificate in bitterness at the countless papers he has spent writing application letters that never got him as much as a regret letter from prospective employers.
“A degree in Kenya nowadays is just a piece of paper. That’s what I have learnt in my three-year pursuit of a job. It’s regrettable, but true. I am tired, very tired of walking into offices,” he said.
Another class among the city’s jobless is the unschooled, mainly young men who came to the city to try their luck in the blue collar sector.
Jobs are not always forthcoming for them either, and many end up joining their schooled colleagues in the ‘jobless corners’ to regroup before their next move.
The matatu industry has cashed in on these desperate job seekers.
Drivers and conductors of matatus in Nairobi approach them with some sort of temporary employment, to sit in matatus and pose as ‘passengers’.
This creates the impression among actual passengers that the matatu is almost full.
Nairobi commuters are known for their impatience and do not ordinarily board a matatu that appears empty.
Immediately the matatu appears full, the filler “passengers” alight one by one – to the chagrin of the genuine passengers – who realise they have been tricked.
Every matatu picks between three and six of these job seekers to pose as passengers.
For their effort, the job seekers get between Sh30 and Sh50.
Lincoln Ndegwa, a jobseeker, has entered into one such arrangement and says that even though he feels embarrassed to trick the passengers, he loves his new job.
On a good day, Ndegwa pockets Sh500.
“When I was in construction I would get Sh150 of which Sh70 would go to my lunch because I would feel very hungry after lifting all those stones. With my new job I just sit, wait for passengers to come, then leave the matatu and move to the next one in the queue. Even though I will need to eat, I don’t need heavy food. Chips (French fries) will take care of me and make sure that I manage to at least save a Sh300 a day,” he says. Ndegwa would like this kind of arrangement to last.
Kimende, a driver of a route 33 matatu plying the Embakasi route, insists that even though passengers get upset, it helps him save time.
“Besides, I am glad that we have been able to help a few job seekers earn a few coins to sustain themselves during these hard times,” he says.
African Laughter
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