A matatu driver was forced to use a traffic policewoman as a shield to protect him from an irate crowd after causing an accident at Bee Centre along Manyanja Road in Nairobi on Monday, July 3.
The stalemate emerged after the driver reportedly injured a boda-boda rider along the road, raising the ire of the nearby boda-boda riders.
Irritated by the matatu driver's actions, the mob descended on him - baying for his blood. The driver was forced to shield himself behind the traffic police woman who used her baton to disperse the crowd.
Fearing for his life, the driver clutched the officer to prevent the angry mob from lynching him.
Minutes later, another officer came to the rescue and assisted his colleague in managing the rowdy group of boda-boda riders.
"The traffic police officers are fond of taking bribes and tend not to act when such atrocities happen," lamented one of the motorbike riders.
"Why don't they respect us?" Another rider questioned.
The riders called on the Ministry of Transport to institute policies that protected them from such incidents and justice for their colleague.
They noted that several incidents go unnoticed because matatu drivers escape the scene.
NTSA Statistics
According to the latest statistics from the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), a total of 974 fatalities were recorded from road accidents from January to March 2023.
Pedestrians accounted for the largest share with 330, followed by boda boda riders at 265 and passengers at 171.
The numbers, however, dropped from 1,021 recorded the previous year over the same period.
NTSA urged road users to adhere to traffic laws and exercise caution when travelling along busy roads across the country.
"We call upon drivers not to endanger their lives and those of their passengers as hydroplaning is a serious threat during the rainy season,” the statement read in part.
