Merseph Nyangena: Defying the odds as a female matatu tout

Merseph Nyangena has refused to let society tell her what she can and cannot do.

Working as a matatu tout for the past three years, she says she is now used to the strange looks she gets from passengers meeting her for the first time.

The need to make a living is what drives her. 

"I used to sell food to support my family, but when my child got sick, I had to dip into my savings, which wasn't enough. Eventually, I used up my business capital and couldn't sustain it," she shares.  

Desperate for an alternative source of income, she approached a male friend who worked as a tout and asked if he could teach her the ropes. He agreed, and after a month of training, she got her first chance to work on her own - an experience she describes as both exhilarating and nerve-wracking.  

"Before I got a permanent job, the work was hard. At one point I even fell off a moving vehicle, which made me think about quitting," she admits.  

On her first day working independently, she was nervous, but with the support of the driver, she managed to complete her shift successfully, earning Sh700.  

Despite the excitement of breaking into a male-dominated field, Merseph faced scepticism from passengers and colleagues alike. While some colleagues were supportive, others had ulterior motives.  

"As women, we are so used to certain behaviours that some don't even recognise them as sexual harassment. Society's attitudes and stereotypes normalise it, and because many don't speak up, the abuse remains hidden and deeply entrenched," she says.

For her, sexual harassment comes in the form of male passengers behaving inappropriately while others ask for sexual favours, but she has learned to ignore them and concentrate on her work.  

"Some of them return to board my matatu, while others disappear after their advances are unsuccessful," she says.

One of her lowest moments was an accident in which she was hit by a matatu door and injured for two weeks.  

After working with Ngata Matatu Sacco for two years, she moved to Langa Line Matatu Sacco last year, where she now has a dedicated vehicle that she works for as a matatu tout.

She has since built up confidence in the industry, which has enabled her to learn basic driving skills with a view to joining a driving school and becoming a driver.  

Working as a matatu tout requires resilience and dedication, as earnings depend on daily effort.  

"If you miss work, you go home empty-handed, and if the car is in the garage, you have to find other cars to work with," she explains.  

Competing for passengers is another challenge, especially as a woman in a male-dominated field.  

"I have to work twice as hard to persuade passengers to get into my car because some assume I'm not serious, although this improves if customers see you regularly. Patience is the key," she says.

A mother of one, she says the job has been a steady source of support for her and her child, and inspires young women to stick with it because success will follow.