How to cheer up Kenyans during hard economic times

Graffiti with encouraging words against the Covid-19 pandemic at a wall along Coast General Hospital in Mombasa County on July 28, 2020. [Kelvin Karani, Standard]

The hard economic times and electioneering period are putting lots of pressure on families, individuals and even our generosity, going by the number of WhatsApp fundraisers.

Perhaps a bit of laughter might cheer you up. Just read what is written on matatus. They are very contemporary and capture popular culture and fads. You can be sure there is one written Ukraine or hatupagwingwi. 

Jokes are also popular. For example, kulia na kucheka zote ni kelele. Another one: kula fare ujue chochoro. We can make the list longer. The message can be social, political, economic or cynical. 

Matatus, which symbolise the country perhaps even more than Mt Kenya, are not just about transport - they epitomise popular culture.

Their paintings and writings (graffiti) describe our aspirations, dreams and often fears. At times, they dig into the past for heroes.

You can even tell who is your next Members of County Assemblies (MCA), senator or MP or even president going by posters on matatus. Remember most voters travel by matatus. 

Dr Mbugua Mungai, a lecturer at Kenyatta University explains: “As social-economic space, matatus are a barometer through which to gauge popular Kenyan thinking about a diverse range of topics, especially during periods of intense political contest."

"Matatu space enables common folk to utter unpopular truths, even mock the mighty in society, and get away with it. Matatu men and women are no fools - they are smart tricksters who make jokes at your expense and make you laugh at yourself, thumbing their noses at you and gleefully telling you, 'uta-do?'."

You can read his book called "Nairobi's Matatu Men: Portrait of a Subculture (2013)” which grew from his PhD thesis.

Matatus used to be meeting places. You met new people and often made life-long friends.

Some people got spouses there. Unfortunately, the phone killed the interaction in matatus. We all get hooked on our phones and not the person sitting next to us or what’s written on other matatus.

And better highways mean we spend less time on the road. We have also become more individualistic. 

The next time you take a matatu, check what’s written on them. Laugh a bit. After all, life can be hard or to quote a popular phrase, "earth is hard."

May that be why the search for aliens and extraterrestrial intelligence is gaining traction.

Who knows, we could get a better home somewhere else, religion aside.