If there is one tribe that dominates the debate about Kenya is the Gikuyu tribe.
From Mau Mau to the famous Standard One book on Mr and Mrs Kamau, the Gikuyu tribe has been at the heart of Kenya’s story.
To an extent, the Kikuyus have been accused of dominating everything good in Kenya; from government positions and goodies as well as economic opportunities.
The tribe’s aggressive nature has seen it accused of many bad things.
Nothing captures the contribution of Kikuyu’s to Kenya’s story like the Matatu industry.
According to veteran writer John Kamau, Matatus were first brought to the industry by Kikuyu businessmen and plied routes dominated by the Gikuyu nation.
They were then competing against a colonial company, Kenya Bus Service (KBS). They were then known as pirate taxis.
As they operated illegally, they would charge three cents per trip which were fondly referred to as mang’otore matatu in Kikuyu.
This name has since become what we know today as Matatu industry in the entire country.
Kamau, in his article where he traces the origin of Kenya’s matatu madness, also educates that Makanga was derived from matatu ‘assistants’ whose work was similar to that of askari kanga of the county council.