NAIROBI, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's public transport vehicles commonly known as matatus were initially deemed to be one of the weakest links in the fight against the new coronavirus (COVID-19).

This is because operators carried excess passengers, abhorred digital payment and they did not care about the hygiene of crew and passengers.

The matatu operators in the last two weeks have, however, fully embraced measures to curb COVID-19 spread, including social distancing and washing of hands.

They have become stronger ambassadors of anti-COVID-19 measures, transforming the minibusses into an adorable mode of transport, making commuters feel safer as they ride in the vehicles that transport millions of people every day.

"There were no two ways about it," Benson Njoroge, a conductor on Kitengela route, south of the capital Nairobi, said on Thursday.

"It was either we conform or we suffer the consequences which were not only risking our lives and spreading the disease but also facing government crackdown," he added.

The matatu operators started by adhering to government guidelines of carrying half the number of passengers in the vehicles from the normal number.

A 35-seater vehicle currently carries 18 passengers while a 14-seater eight. And none of the passengers is allowed to get into the vehicles without sanitizing themselves.

In the capital Nairobi, each matatu has its own sanitizer, which the conductor uses to ensure everyone entering the vehicle cleans their hands.

A survey at Railway bus station in the central business district in Nairobi on Thursday showed that the matatu operators are diligently ensuring that everyone getting into their vehicles is sanitized.

With each carrying a hand-held sanitizer dispenser, they sprayed the chemical on every passenger getting into vehicles.

"We must fight and defeat coronavirus," one of the conductors shouted to a female passenger.

"That is the spirit. It is good matatu drivers are leading from the front," she replied.

In bus termini in residential areas, matatu operators have installed handwashing points to minimize the use of sanitizers.

In Kitengela, each of three different Saccos that ply the route has installed the handwashing points.

"We have been instructed by our Sacco leaders to ensure that every passenger sanitizes their hands. Those that refuse should not be allowed to enter the vehicles," said Njoroge, who belongs to Rembo Shuttle Sacco.

He noted that he has encountered stubborn commuters but he has always stayed firm.

"The good thing is that every other passenger is supporting the hygiene measures. So if only one person is against, he stands no chance," he noted.

The public transport vehicles have increased their fares to compensate for the few number of commuters they carry but Kenyans have supported them, paying the new fares without much complaining.

"It is now expensive to commute but the good thing is that we are commuting safe," said Godwin Okero, a clothes seller in Nairobi.

On Thursday, Health Minister Mutahi Kagwe directed that matatu users must start wearing face masks to curb the spread of the disease as infections in the east African nation rose to stand at 110.

Operators we talked to said they will ensure passengers wear the items, with some smelling a business opportunity by selling the gadgets to consumers.

"Matatu operators have proved that they can be relied upon during times of crisis. It is good that they have become reliable in ensuring the disease does not spread through the measures they take," noted Ernest Manuyo, a business lecturer at Pioneer Institute in Nairobi.

He said it will take concerted efforts to defeat the disease and that it is commendable matatus are playing their part. Enditem

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