Anyangu Kube, is a survivor of suspected drug poisoning.

On Sunday evening, around 8pm, Mr Kube left his home to go to Nakuru town to board a matatu that would take him to Nairobi to run his errands.

He arrived in town on a motorbike and found an old matatu shuttle, which he had never used before, with an empty seat.

This was a relief for him as he was in a hurry to get to Nairobi.

He managed to take the last seat and the vehicle departed immediately.

On his left, there was hand luggage and on his right a man with dreadlocks.

According to Mr Kube, the journey went on well for an hour as people got off at various points along the way.

Kube says: "Suddenly a foul smell hit my nose. I thought it was bad breath of the man with the dreadlocks. I noticed that he was busy closing the window, so I shouted at him to open it."

Immediately afterwards, he began to feel dizzy. He was dripping with sweat as he struggled to breathe.

"My head became heavy and I lost consciousness," he recalls.

Mr Kube says he could hear voices in the distance shouting: "conductor, get him out of the car".

When he regained consciousness, Mr Kube was outside the car, on the floor, his shirt open from top to bottom to allow air to circulate.

Angry passengers could be heard asking, "Where is the man who was sitting next to him?"

He was nowhere to be seen. The mob was baying for his blood.

Mr Kube suspects that the unidentified man tried to rob him of his laptop and mobile phone. He says the incident has left him scared of public transport.

Recently, thieves have been using drugs to rob people around them.

But what tactics do they use on themselves to avoid being affected? That is a mystery yet to be solved.

mandikizela@gmail.com

My drugging experience inside Nairobi-bound matatu

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