A female passenger was allegedly assaulted on Saturday, July 1, after declining to alight a matatu that dropped her further from her destination.
Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, the passenger stated that she boarded the matatu, belonging to Chania Sacco, at Utawala en route to Ruiru along Thika Road.
Flanked by her sister and two younger brothers, she paid Ksh280 for the journey that commenced at around 6:30 pm. She was, however, surprised when the driver instructed the passengers to alight at a pickup zone along the Eastern Bypass.
"The conductor charged us Ksh70 bob each to Kihunguro and Ruiru and we paid the amount. When we got to Bypass, he instructed us to alight and declined to refund the balance to facilitate the rest of our journey," she claimed.
She was appalled by the tout's decision to refund other commuters, leaving her stranded and wondering why she was targeted.
Irritated by the tout's demeanour, the passenger and her siblings defied the directive and remained seated in an effort to coerce him to comply with their counter demand.
"We insisted for the conductor to refund the cash and he instead crossed over the road while hurling insults at us. He came with a group of men maybe because he saw we were already four, I think he was ready for violence," she pointed out.
As the altercation intensified, the tout reportedly resorted to staging violence, punching the protesting woman. As a result, she sustained visible injuries on her lips and nose.
"In the middle of the back and forth he began assaulting me. He punched me in my mouth where I sustained severe bruises and started bleeding. He then hurriedly escaped," she added.
In compliance with the law, the victim rushed to Ruiru Police Station, where he filed a report under OB number 65/01/07/2023. Police, afterwards, instructed her to report to the station on Monday for an official briefing.
The incident caused an uproar online, with most Kenyans calling for the conductor's arrest to serve as a lesson to other touts. Others called for the Saccos license and the tout's permit to be withdrawn immediately.
A spot-check on the matatu's vehicle inspection status on the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) indicated that it had expired on November 10, 2022.
