matatu definition
matatu means a public service vehicle having seating accommodation for not more than twenty-five passengers exclusive of the driver; but does not include a motor car;
matatu in loose local language means a public service vehicle. ‘Mukoloni’ is coined from Kiswahili to mean colonial government. ‘Mjengo’ is a Kiswahili word meaning construction site.
matatu in Swahili literally means “the threes,” which refers to the fare (3 pennies) for the original vehicles used in the late colonial period to transport African laborers in and out of Nairobi from the “Bantustans”—a term adopted from its original use in the South African context to refer to the ethnically organized (but often to a degree mixed) reserves (Oscar, personal communication 2007, although there are various theories on the origins of the term). Today, “matatu” is its own noun and refers to the Nissan, Izuzu, and other 15 passenger mini-vans. In 2004, the government passed a law forbidding matatu operators to overload the vehicles, requiring 15 seatbelts for 15 passengers for the 15 seats in the vehicle. Before this law, it was common to travel with often 30 people in a matatu (each person with one person on his or her lap). Matatus are ubiquitous in urban and peri-urban Kenya, and indeed, throughout various development zones. Because of their wonderfully outlandish paint jobs, and before legislation, their loud stereos, matatus have quite a ‘cult’ following as 109 different Facebook groups, with titles like “Matatu Appreciation Society,” “Matatu Culture,” “The Matatu Fan Group,” and “Matatu Mania: The Official Matatu Website,” suggests. The Wikipedia entry on “share taxi” gives a good sense for the prominence of similar modes of transportation around the world and shows some photos.
More Definitions of matatu
matatu means privately owned mini bus licensed to carry members of the public but a member of a Matatu Sacco