This tweet shared an image of a commuter bus alleged to be operating from Nakuru to Nairobi at Ksh150, half the normal price. Assumed to be a satirical post, a number of replies to this tweet confirmed riding in this bus. While others attributed this image to Ivory Coast.
Background
Public transport is considered the most affordable way of getting around Kenya. This ranges from long-distance bus lines to local town buses popularly known as ‘matatus.’ In 2015, there were proposals to introduce a cashless electronic payment system. This payment required passengers to have pre-paid cards or use mobile money when making payments in a bid to revolutionise public transport. The latter however has not been implemented.
Verification
From a basic Google search, results show, Abidjan Transport Company, Ivory Coast’s public transport provider, is managed by SOTRA. It is considered to be the first organized urban transport company in West Africa.
From the image tweeted, SOTRA’s logo can be identified on the bus. Comparing this with earlier images of similar buses used by Abidjan Transport Company, there are undisputed similarities. (See screengrab below).
From this reverse image search, on December 4, 2021, a tweet attributed this image to Ivory Coast’s public transport while another challenged the Kenyan government to adopt the use of these buses.
Verdict
The tweet claiming that this commuter bus is operating between Nakuru and Nairobi is SATIRICAL.
This story was produced by Africa Uncensored in partnership with Code for Africa with support from Deutsche Welle Akademie.
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