Joseph Kamau is always in Nakuru town by 6 am. His work as a driver with Moline Safaris demands that he arrives at this time so as to book a number for his vehicle.

The earlier he arrives, the better the number he gets.

And once his turn comes, his next big task will be to convince the first customer to get into the vehicle

Majority would complain about the vehicle being empty and sometimes demand to be refunded back their money.

But there are those travellers who go straight into the vehicle and wait patiently for it to fill. Some would even pray for journey mercies.

These are the kind of customers who make Mr Kamau's morning a good one.

"The first customer is the most difficult one since I use a lot of effort to convince them to get into the empty vehicle. Those who cooperate really brighten my morning," said Mr Kamau.

When the vehicle is almost full, Mr Kamau gets into the vehicle ready to take off once the last customer gets in.

The stage clerk will confirm the customers' receipts before preparing the trip manifest which he hands over to Mr Kamau.

After he receives the manifest Mr Kamau starts the engine and takes off.

His first take off is always between 8 am and 9 am, more than three hours since he woke up at 4 am.

You see, Mr Kamau's alarm calls at exactly 4 am for him to get out of the bed. His wife also responds to the same alarm and the couple kneels to pray before he freshens up and leaves for work.

Mr Kamau makes trips to Nairobi and Eldoret.

opendajoseph@gmail.com

My good morning story: Life of a matatu driver

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Joseph Openda