Draft:"Matatus" in Kenya, and how they got their name

• Comment: Fails WP:GNG, requires significant coverage in multiple independent secondary sources - not just one unreliable reference. Dan arndt (talk) 06:40, 4 December 2023 (UTC)

---

                    "Matatus" in Kenya, and how they got their name:

Ten cents and five cents coins existed in Kenya until around the year 1998, when the Central Bank of Kenya withdrew both from circulation after both lost value to the point that they were unable to make purchases of any kind.

"Matatus" are Kenyan public transport mini-buses, and "Matatus" derive their name from the mentioned ten cents coin.

When "Matatus" became a key mode of transport in the City of Nairobi around the mid 1960s, they charged a fare of 30 cents on all city routes, in other words, three 10 cent coins on all city routes. Many of the Kenyan public transport mini-buses in those days were owned by individuals from Kenya's Kikuyu community, and Kikuyus, in those days, referred to a ten cent coin as "I'Ngotore," the plural of ten cent coins being "Ma'Ngotore," so when crews would beckon for passengers back in those days, they would call out, as the fare charged, "Ma'Ngotore Ma Tatu," in other words, "The fare is 30 cents," out of which, all Kenyan public transport mini-buses started being referred to as "Matatu," in other words, "those vehicles that charge 30 cents on all routes."

There was pressure on the then Kenya Government of President Jomo Kenyatta, from Kenyan bus companies of those times, such as Kenya Bus Services Limited, Gathanga Success and Akamba Bus Services Limited, to ban "Matatus," on the basis that "Matatus" benefited from unfair business practises, which is why they were able to to charge 30 cents on all routes. This was also before the Arab Oil Embargo of 1973 by Arab Member Countries of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), against countries that supported Israel against Egypt in the Yom Kippur War of 1973, Kenya being one of those countries. Israeli Army General, Brig. Gen. Ariel "Arik" Sharon (1928 to 2014), Prime Minister of Israel from 2001 to 2006, led Israel against Egypt in the Yom Kippur War of 1973, making him a hero in Israel, and leading to his becoming Israeli Prime Minister twenty-eight years later in 2001.

There was a sharp increase in petroleum prices in Kenya in 1973 as a consequence of the said Arab Oil Embargo of 1973. In other words, one of the reasons "Matatus" in Kenya were able to charge low fares, before the year 1973, was lowly priced petroleum.

Another reason was that "Matatus" did not pay taxes to Local Government Authorities, nor to the Central Kenya Government, a key reason cited back then by the mentioned bus companies, regarding unfair advantages that "Matatus" had over bus companies of those times. "Matatus" are actually one of the reasons that eventually led to closure of Kenya Bus Services Limited, around the year 2000.

Clearly, and needless to say, President Jomo Kenyatta's Kenya Government did not ban "Matatus," and the rest is history. President Jomo Kenyatta was actually "caught between a rock and a hard place," because on the one hand, the likes of Gathanga Success Bus Company were owned by wealthy and influential Kikuyus of those times, while on the other, many "Matatus" back then were owned by "small-timers" from Muranga and Kiambu (where Jomo Kenyatta came from), men and women who were "starting out in life," men and women who were starting out in business. President Jomo Kenyatta needed both, both the "wealthy and influential guys," as well as the "small-timers." He chose the "small-timers" which is why and how "Matatus" have grown into an industry in Kenya over the years.

The next time you board a "Matatu" in Kenya, or come across one, remember the Kenyan ten cent coin, and how it gave a title and name to a key sector in Kenya of these times.

                           https://kenyanhistory.home.blog
                                     ………………………………

== References

https://kenyanhistory.home.blog