In Nairobi and Mombasa, but now in every other city and town in Kenya, matatu are considered the emblem of traffic and smog, if not danger and accidents. No longer just a necessary and cheap means of transport for the less affluent population, but a threat to the sustainable future of this country.

Now, however, there may be a turning point towards a 'greener' idea of the iconic means of collective transport, often explicitly decorated as bearers of urban narratives: one of the 'Sacco', the cooperative companies that own the matatu, Metro Trans East Africa Limited, has purchased a fleet of electric buses, revealing an ambitious plan to improve the service.
In a statement, the Sacco announced that the new fleets will be deployed in Nairobi's central business district (CBD) and their use will be promoted with some free rides.

The purchase of the electric buses was done in collaboration with electric vehicle company BasiGo, as part of its mandate to create the future of clean and electric public transport in the country.
The company emphasised that the move is part of the administration of President William Ruto, which has sought to modernise the country's public transport sector.
Just yesterday, Kenya's Minister of Transport, Kipchumba Murkomen, had confirmed that bus and matato companies will get tax incentives for the purchase of electric vehicles, thanks to the 2019 Finance Act that reduced excise duty on electric vehicles from 20 per cent to 10 per cent.

Now it's a matter of convincing the many matatu owners that it's one thing to have their sides painted with rap singers, adventure movie stars, buxom women and famous mottos, it's quite another to try to limit carbon dioxide emissions and make citizens breathe less polluted air, while also saving on the price of fuel, thanks to inflation and the so-called 'international conjunctures', which are historically almost always a rip-off for Africa, is ever higher and also forces up fares, with serious disadvantages for the poor people who use these means of transport to get to work or for other needs.
Will they be able to renounce the gas-guzzling and full-tilt rides, which also end tragically every now and then? We shall see, but perhaps not so soon...