Traffic was disrupted along the Nairobi–Nakuru highway in Gitaru on Wednesday, 31 December, after boda boda riders set a 14-seater matatu reported to be belonging to the NNK SACCO, on fire.
The incident occurred when the matatu fatally hit one of their colleagues, a 22-year-old rider who was delivering carpet.
Eyewitnesses said the matatu was making a turn at an unsafe location when it struck the rider, leading to immediate anger among fellow boda boda operators.
The enraged riders reportedly blocked the road before setting the vehicle ablaze, causing significant delays and drawing a large crowd to the scene.
Images and videos obtained by Kenyans.co.ke showed the matatu completely engulfed in flames, with thick smoke billowing from the wreckage at the busy section of the Nairobi–Nakuru highway.
Onlookers watched in shock, with no one daring to salvage the vehicle. At the time, there was no visible presence of police or firefighters as the matatu continued to burn.
The latest incident adds to a growing trend of vigilante actions, with boda boda riders frequently accused of taking the law into their own hands after accidents, often setting vehicles on fire instead of allowing authorities to handle the situation.
Just days before the Gitaru incident, on December 22, a group of boda boda operators set a Mash Poa bus on fire following a deadly accident.
The crash occurred at Salgaa along the Nakuru–Mau Summit road, claiming the life of a boda boda rider. Enraged by the death of their colleague, fellow riders retaliated by torching the bus, which was en route to Kampala, Uganda, at the time.
Photos and videos from the scene showed the bus completely engulfed in flames, with thick smoke rising into the sky, drawing crowds of onlookers who watched as the vehicle burned.
Last month, on November 14, a mob of boda boda riders set a 33-seater minibus on fire after it reportedly ran over one of their colleagues near Mama Lucy Hospital in Embakasi Central, Nairobi.
According to reports, the accident occurred along Kangundo Road when the minibus attempted to swerve to avoid a collision with another oncoming vehicle.
The incident quickly drew the attention of locals, including fellow boda boda riders, who confronted the driver before the mob went on to torch the vehicle. Footage from the scene showed the minibus fully engulfed in flames as onlookers watched from a distance.
