Pastors and Herbalists

A very annoying trend has cropped up, in the public transport system, of herbalists and pastors. Do not get me wrong, I have nothing against

them or what they do. My problem is how and where they do it.

 

I respect pastors and their role of ensuring no single soul perishes. A few of them have been caught up in scandals, (like the Mwende and Pastor Michael Njoroge saga) but this does not discredit all of them. The preaching in the Buses is not wrong but the coercion used is uncalled for. Passengers are normally of different faiths and a pastor would be lucky to have five people listen to them. Kenyans may have busy schedules spearing no time for church or prayer but it not a ticket for anyone to impose religion on them.

My other problem is with the herbalists who have taken advantage of the great migration to herbal medicine. We all want to be healthy and disease free but it’s not a ticket for people to follow us everywhere even in ‘matatus’. What annoys me most is, the misleading information given to vulnerable passengers and at times the medicine is ineffective not forgetting the adverse side effects such as diarrhoea.

I thought I had seen it all not until I boarded a ‘matatu’ and someone was selling Swahili books. He introduced himself and his product through a lecture on how we need to improve on our Swahili for the sake of the future generations. I appreciate the initiative but hawking the books was not that necessary.

People board ‘matatus’ expecting not to be disturbed. I may appreciate a few scriptures and a word of prayer, but how many people do? Invasion of personal space is of various forms including imposing something on someone. This may not be everyone’s opinion but it’s that of the majority. So, pastors, herbalists and hawkers let us give passengers their space.

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