In Nairobi, criminal gangs have developed cunning strategies to carry out robberies inside matatus. These innovative methods range from distraction techniques to coordinated teamwork, posing a serious threat to the safety of passengers and their property necessitating increased vigilance from authorities.
Following numerous complaints from Nairobi residents plying different routes in the city, Kenyans.co.ke, on Saturday, July 15th, talked to a few city residents who shared their accounts on how they lost their mobile phones in transit and how matatu crew are conniving with criminals posing as passengers to carry out daring theft.
One such victim, Eunice Muthoni, sadly fell prey to this phenomenon.
“It was on a Friday at around 10pm. It was a bit late so there were not that many matatus, so when one pulled up at the bus stop, I quickly boarded it," she recounted.
"The matatu was almost full but I managed to secure a seat. I was robbed by two men, one seated beside me and one seated at the spot immediately behind his. The one seated behind us tapped my shoulder and lied that he had dropped his money below my seat, I bent over to collect the cash. The culprit seated next to me capitalized on that opportunity to steal my phone from my handbag," she recounted.
Muthoni told this reporter that the two alighted from the matatu shortly after. It was only after the two suspects were long gone that she reached into her handbag to get her phone that it finally hit her what had happened.
Her efforts to try and trace her phone were all in vain.
In another instance, Jeconiah Omondi a Nairobi resident told Kenyans.co.ke that his phone was stolen while he was helping the matatu tout close a faulty door.
Mr. Omondi broke down how the entire incident happened. He recalled that when he got to the bus stop, he was ushered to stay at the front of the matatu, next to the driver.
While in transit, the tout pretended that the door was faulty and unable to close properly. Omondi was requested by the conductor to assist in forcefully closing the door.
As the door had been tampered with by the tout, it proved difficult to close it securely. In this situation, the tout requested Omondi to use his phone's torchlight to provide additional illumination under the guise it would resolve the issue.
Occasionally, the conductor also sought Omondi's help in lifting the heavy door, prompting him to temporarily place his phone either in his pocket or on the matatu seat.
“The conductor then wailed like he was in pain so instead of putting the phone in my pocket, I dropped it on the seat to check what had happened to him. The person seated next to me was a thief posing as a passenger. He slowly passed the phone to an accomplice in the seat behind us," he stated.
Omondi was then misled to believe that his phone had fallen off the vehicle. Confused and worried, he requested to alight immediately. He frantically looked across the road to see where he had "dropped the phone". Seconds later, it dawned on him that he had just been robbed.
Another victim, Hillary Matano was on his daily commute when he handed over his phone to the matatu tout like many Kenyans do when they want to pay fare via digital payment services provider.
Unknown to him is that the person who had just tapped his shoulder was a thief and not the tout. When the actual tout tapped on his shoulder, he stressed that he had already paid his fare leading to a confrontation with the crew member. That was when he knew that he had just been robbed.
In the last instance, Eustace Kioko was seated between two passengers who threatened to stab him if he screamed or refused to hand over his phone.
The victim said that this incident left an indelible mark in his life.
Other ingenious ways robbers are using include; pickpocketing their victims then misleading the victims to believe that they saw who took it. However this is typically an effort to set the victims off course.
To avoid falling victim to such schemes, Kenyans have been advised to remain vigilant.
One of the ways Kenyans can avoid being robbed is boarding matatus registered with reputable Saccos. Another is to always remain alert and flagging suspicious behaviour. If you notice anything unusual, it's best to be cautious and consider finding an alternative means of transport.
Moreover, people should avoid crowded matatus. Overcrowded Public Service Vehicles (PSVs) are a common breeding ground for thieves.
