ODM Communications Director Phillip Etale wore a hero's hat when he stepped in and saved a Range Rover driver from a mob along Uhuru Highway in Nairobi.
Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, Etale noted that he was drawn to the scene by a commotion between the drivers, which was quickly causing a traffic snarl up.
When he arrived, he learnt that the driver of the Range Rover had assaulted his matatu counterpart by pouring hot tea on him, further intensifying the situation.
"I was just driving past then I saw traffic snarl up and a commotion. I told my driver to pull aside. I walked to the scene and found people fighting. This driver was in a Range Rover alone. I think he had some takeaway tea and it was hot," narrated Etale.
According to witnesses, the driver of the private vehicle escalated the conflict by physically assaulting the matatu driver, which enraged boda boda riders and other matatu operators in the vicinity.
Eye witnesses disputed claims that the wrangle started after the matatu rammed into the Range Rover as both cars did not have dents.
"He (Range Rover driver) claimed that the matatu guy had hit him. In that melee, he poured the tea on the driver of the matatu. When I arrived, he had beaten up the driver.
"When he came out (of his car) the boda boda riders and other matatu operators had arrived at the scene. They tore his sweater and left the driver in a torn vest. When I arrived, I stopped the matatu operators and boda boda riders, who were vicious, to first find out what happened," Etale added.
To prove his case, Etale shared a video showing head injuries the matatu driver sustained during the commotion, which lasted for 15 minutes.
After his intervention, the communications expert handed over the matter to the traffic police operating along the busy highway.
The incident came days after a matatu driver hid behind a traffic police officer in an attempt to protect himself from an irate crowd after causing an accident at Bee Centre along Manyanja Road in Nairobi.
The stalemate emerged after the driver reportedly injured a boda-boda rider along the road, attracting the ire of the nearby boda-boda riders.
