A drunk matatu passenger was almost beaten after he offered a driver a swig of alcohol on traffic along Mombasa Road.
The incident happened on Sunday, May 16, just around Imara Daima area. The said passenger – a man who appeared to be in his 30s – boarded the vehicle in Mlolongo area, Machakos county – and looked drunk.
“I saw him stagger as he boarded the vehicle at Mlolongo stage. He looked completely spent. I could tell from the smell coming from his mouth that he was just from drinking alcohol,” Henry Wafula who was in the same vehicle told Mwanahabari.co.ke.
“The driver knew him by the name – and kept referring to him as Kioko. I could tell that they knew each other when he went ans set next to the driver. I could see a bottle protruding from his jacket pocket,” added Wafula.
The passenger who sat on the rail next to the driver – is said to have chatted away with the driver like old pals – making loud and careless jokes about the previous night’s escapades – something that seemed to get to the nerves of the conductor.
It was while having their talk that the passenger reached for the bottle and offered it to the drive.
“I saw him open the bottle and pushed it towards the driver,” said the other passenger.
“I saw the driver refuse to take a swig, probably fearing that I was keenly watching,”
“Moments later he (the driver) took the plastic bottle and made as if to smell its content – and that’s when I made noise. I know he was going to drink it.
Other passengers joined – and demanded that the drunk passenger and the driver be thrown out.
The driver sensing danger – is said to have pretended that he was taking the bottle for safekeeping on the dashboard or somewhere.
“Mimi sikunywi pombe. Nlikuwa namwekea hii spirit yake hapa kwa dashboard. Siwezi kunya pombe na mimi niko kazini…(I was just keeping it here for this man who is my friend. I cannot drink while at work),” said the driver.
Sources said that the river did not manage to take a swig – but chances are that he would have done s if he had a chance.
The matter was quickly resolved after the conductor promised to report the incident to the owner of the vehicle.
According to Kenya National Transport Authority, Kenya loses up to 3,000 lives every year from road accidents – with most of the deaths said to be caused due to negligence. Drunk driving is listed as one of the leading causes of accidents in Kenya.
Alcohol when mixed with driving could turn celebration into a misfortune as it reduces concentration, and decreases reaction time of a human body. Limbs take more to react to the instructions of brain. It hampers vision due to dizziness and dampens fear and incite humans to take risks. These can lead to accidents on the road.