Meet a Kenyan Man Who Quit His Job to Help Matatu Drivers Beat Traffic

On a normal day, on the busy Thika Superhighway, it will take more than two hours to drive from Allsoaps to get to the Nairobi CBD. This was an inspiration for one Gatiba Ndung'u who quit his job as a Matatu tout In order to start and concentrate on his own business, helping drivers avoid traffic jams along the congested Thika Superhighway.

In Nairobi, Ndung'u is known by the nickname Rada Safi. Rada is a sheng term derived from radar, a system for spotting moving objects such as terrain, guided missiles, motor vehicles, ships, and aircraft.

In a previous interview, Gatiba revealed that he helps motorists beat traffic on the busy Thika highway but at a fee.

Daniel Kamau one of the many matatu drivers who seek services from Ndung’u spoke to Look Up Digital and said that the services provided by Gatiba Ndung’u helped a great deal in saving time and time is everything in the matatu business.

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“He is instrumental, he directs you on alternative routes to use hence saving time, and in the Matatu business, when you save time, the more trips you make.” He stated

Ndung'u receives calls from drivers on a number of different phones and runs his business from a footbridge along Thika Road.

“After quitting my job as a tout in a Githurai Sacco and started off this business that I work only for 6 hours a day, so many people thought that I was crazy.” He said.

On a normal day, he serves close to 4,000 matatus making a living out of it. He advised the youth who complain about unemployment to look for alternative ways to make a living instead of waiting for the government.