Police have confirmed that a violent confrontation captured on video in Nairobi Central Business District was the result of a domestic dispute rather than a disagreement over matatu fare as widely speculated online.
The incident, which quickly went viral on social media, shows a woman hurling a stone at a matatu, shattering its windscreen before a man linked to the vehicle rushes toward her and pushes her to the ground during a heated struggle.
During the scuffle, the man attempts to snatch the woman’s handbag, breaking its strap as she resists. A school-going child believed to be their daughter was present at the scene and attempted to intervene before concerned bystanders restrained her.
Police Clarify Cause of Dispute
According to Filmon Nyakombo, the Officer in Charge of the Station Police Division at Central Police Station, investigations revealed that the two individuals involved are in a relationship and share a child together.
“In our investigation, I found out that the driver and the lady have been in a relationship. They have a child together. The altercation arose from differences over the issues of taking this child to school,” Nyakombo said.
He clarified that the incident was purely domestic in nature and not related to any dispute over fare payment.
Statements Recorded by Both Parties
Police said the confrontation escalated from a verbal disagreement into a physical altercation, attracting the attention of bystanders and prompting the viral recording that circulated online.
Authorities confirmed that both individuals have since recorded official statements with law enforcement.
The woman recorded her statement at Kamukunji Police Station, while the man gave his statement at Central Police Station.
Police noted that taking statements at separate stations is a standard procedure in cases where both parties are directly involved in a dispute.
