A matatu tout who never shouts

From the conductor’s seat, he leans out of the matatu’s window to beckon prospective passengers, indicating with a two- or three-finger sign the fare he is charging depending on the time of the day.

Between the fingers of Bernard Kiogothi’s right hand are currency notes while the coins are in his palm.

The Route 11 matatu makes a stop at the Ngara stage, just outside the Nairobi city centre.

“Highridge?” a prospective passenger enquires from outside the van.

Conductor Kiogothi, dressed in the official maroon uniform, simply gives the two-finger sign to indicate that the fare is Sh20. He calmly opens the door and the passenger steps in.

In an industry known for its noisy, rowdy and unruly touts, Mr Kiogothi stands out – he works in silence.

The 36-year-old deaf and mute man has spent a good part of his life in the matatu industry in Nairobi.

“I have worked as a matatu conductor for 11 years,” he says using sign language. He adds that he worked along the Gachie route for six years before changing to the Highridge one.

At the bus stop another matatu conductor will call out for passengers on his behalf. For this, Kiogothi parts with a small fee, Sh20 at most. When all 14 seats are occupied, however, Mr Kiogothi takes charge of the vehicle.

While collecting the bus fare, he uses his fingers to ask where each passenger intends to alight. He understands his passengers’ response by reading their lips, a skill that he is quite adept at. And in case of a misunderstanding with a commuter, he seeks the driver’s intervention.

On this particular day a passenger says he wants to alight at the Inoorero stage. Mr Kiogothi cannot understand him, so he seeks help from the driver, who listens and drops off the passenger at desired stop.

Mr Kiogothi works for 16 hours a day from Monday to Saturday. “I wake up at 4am, get to the car’s parking location at Ngara by the next hour and then we work from 5am to 9pm,” he says.

The six-day routine involves 13 trips daily between Highridge and the Central Business District. The matatu owner expects a certain amount of money each evening. The balance, Mr Kiogothi says, is sufficient to sustain a decent living for the driver and himself.

Commuters on the Highridge route have no problem boarding a matatu that has a hearing-impaired conductor. In fact, some marvel at how he conducts his business. One such passenger, Ms Mary Nduta, a fruit seller, is full of praise for Mr Kiogothi. She said: “He is gentle when asking people to board his matatu.”

Work ethic and attitude

The driver, Mr John Wainaina, has a lot of admiration for him too, saying: “I couldn’t have gotten a more effective person to work with.

“After observing Kiogothi’s work ethic and attitude at the Odeon stage, I introduced him to my employer. “We have been working together for the past year.”

Mr Kiogothi’s colleagues hold him in equally high regard. Mr Kagai Njoroge, a matatu driver on the Highridge route, says they do not discriminate against him.

“He is one of us. We treat him well. He is different, in that he can’t steal from you,” says Mr Njoroge.

Mr Kiogothi, the first-born in his family, lives in a single-room house in Zimmerman, off Thika Road. His mother and three siblings live in Nyeri County, where he grew up. He attended Tumutumu Primary School and Kerugoya Secondary School, both for the hearing-impaired.

The matatu business was his first undertaking after school and now Mr Kiogothi, who enjoys driving, hopes to make the move from the conductor’s to the driver’s seat: “I hope to acquire a driving licence once I raise money for the test.”