Move over ‘makangas’, the ‘nduthes’ are here!
They have occupied every corner, streets, parking lots and they have no apologies about how they do their business.
Most of them have a not so pleasant body odour – no one knows if it is due to failure to shower or it’s the multi-layered clothes they wear come sun or rain.
They are commonly called nduthes, Sheng for someone who runs very fast.
A majority of the people Nairobi News spoke to had very few good things to say about them; most people simply use their services out of necessity.
For long, matatu touts have been notorious for their boisterous and aggressiveness but now the nduthes have taken infamous tag from the makangas.
From colluding with thugs to hiking fares to breaking traffic rules with impunity to dare-devilish stunts on the road, nduthes are best known for all the wrong reasons.
And often the two groups have crossed paths, like last Friday morning when a matatu crew in Eastlands was beaten by the motorcyclists for hitting one of them.
Cases of the motorcyclists colluding with thugs to rob their passengers have also become a common place.
RECKLESS DRIVING
Peter Ochieng was on his way home on a boda boda but before reaching his destination the motorcyclist stopped and claimed that his bike had a problem.
While the boda boda rider pretended to struggle starting his bike, two young men emerged from the shadows and relieved Ochieng of all his belongings.
Strangely, they didn’t touch the motorcyclist who proceeded to take the passenger home without charging him.
Maina Macharia is another victim of the nduthes’ reckless ways. Macharia’s car was hit by a motorcycle in Buruburu while traveling home resulting in the extensive damage of his car’s bumper.
Before he could say a word other motorcyclists came and started accusing him of driving recklessly. When a traffic police officer, who was present at the scene, attempted to intervene, the mob quickly took cover.
To add to Macharia’s frustration, the police officer informed him that nothing much could be done if he hadn’t taken the registration number of the motorcycle. He had no choice but to drag his bumper out of the road and incur the expenses.
The question that most city dwellers are now asking themselves is what the authorities are doing to curb this boda boda menace.