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Some commuters from Eastlands hike a lift on a lorry along Jogoo road on May 18, 2026. [Stafford Ondego, Standard]
Hundreds of Kenyans improvised difficult and at times dangerous ways to reach work on Monday after a nationwide matatu strike brought public transport to a standstill.
Across Nairobi and other major towns, commuters walked for hours, squeezed into overcrowded commuter trains, paid inflated boda boda fares, or resorted to risky rides on trucks as they pushed through a day of disruption driven by rising fuel prices and a deepening cost-of-living crisis.
From as early as 4am, bus stages in Nairobi were filled with stranded passengers hoping for matatus that never arrived. Along major roads including Waiyaki Way, Thika Road, Mombasa Road and Jogoo Road, long streams of pedestrians filled highways as many abandoned hopes of finding transport.
