If you are a regular commuter on the Kiambu- Githunguri route, you must have bumped into Stanley Kamau Mburu. He is the oldest makanga and recently marked his 66th birthday!
Despite his grey hair and wrinkled face, Kamau, who has been a tout for the past 20 years, says he is not about to hang his, err...coins?
When The Nairobian caught up with him, Kamau, who has been nicknamed, Kalulu, was busy ‘touting’ and from his energy, it is hard to believe he is a grandpa
“This is a calling. I enjoy this job. I was born for this. People get surprised when they see me hanging on matatu doors calling out for passengers.” he said.
He was born in Ziwani, Nairobi County and previously operated along the Baba Dogo, Rongai, Dandora and Kikuyu routes.
“I’m a born city despite my age. All that I have known in my life is hanging on matatu doors. That’s why I cannot tend to cows like my age mates in the village. I was a chokoraa in the city for a long time. I understand what hustling means and I’m not retiring anytime soon,” he said.
Kamau explains that being a makanga has enabled him to educate all his three children.
The father of three explains that despite his age, his memory and agility are top notch as “there is no way I can forget to collect fare from passengers. I’m a born town. Mimi ni mtu amechanuka. I am very experienced at this.”
Hanging on matatu doors is fun and has excited him for the last 20 years. He insists that he’s still a ‘young man’ who has no time herding cattle like his age mates.
“I’m well-known in the city, it is where I grew up. I was a chokoraa and hawker around Wakulima House. That’s where I mastered Sheng and English which have kept me at the top for the two decades that I have worked in the matatu industry as a conductor,” says Kamau.
He explains that he grew up in the streets of Nairobi begging until one day he got help from a friend and decided to hawk sweets. He says his small business however didn’t last for long because city askaris took away his goods.
“My business was doing well but when the city askaris took away my goods, I went back to zero. I had no one to support me, so I decided to relocate to Kiambu to try my luck again.
Kamau wakes up early and would be at the bus stage by 4am. He works till late in the night, making Sh600 a day, which he says is enough to sustain him.
