Cops and Matatus on the roads of Nairobi

In recent weeks I have noticed more policemen [and even more so...more policewomen] on the roads of Nairobi.

In the recent past the cops have been confusing people on whether to follow traffic lights or not. This has led to so much confusion, with people following the cops' directions while they are there, and when they are not there, the rule of the jungle applies - "Sukuma, Twende! Every man for himself!"

Unfortunately, when the cops are not around no traffic rules are followed. It's such a pity that we human beings can't act like we have some dignity within ourselves and respect other drivers on the road. This particularly is the case of matatu drivers. If there is a traffic jam and no cops around, our "bush-trained" matatu drivers will take over the oncoming lane and push any on-coming drivers onto the side. The thing is that they only have their goal in mind - To get to the front of the line. If while doing so, it means causing an even bigger jam for others than so be it. These guys don't care.

Fortunately, since last week i've been seeing more cops on the road, properly distributing themselves, directing traffic and watching out for these rogue matatu's bent on defying all road rules.

Sometimes, with the cops around the traffic flows easily, other times it gets jammed up because of the confusion of whether to follow the cop or the traffic lights. Other times there are no cops on the roads and matatus go ahead with their wanton destruction...drive anywhere where your wheels can take you.

The moral of the story is that the responsibilty of keeping order on the road lies with the drivers on the road, not just the cops. The cops should only come in when there is no other option... as is the case right now with the brainless matatu drivers on the road.

NB: When i talk of "Matatus" i don't only mean these 14 seater Nissan/Toyota Hiace hooligans, i also mean these other goons [or bullies] called Citi Hoppa, KBS and some other company whose colours are mainly yellow and white [don't know the name of the company yet].