Ruto Backs Nganya Culture and Orders NTSA to Stop Stripping Graffiti

President William Ruto directed the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) on Friday to stop ordering matatu operators to strip graffiti from their vehicles, throwing his weight behind Kenya’s Nganya culture in a move that has called off a planned industry strike.

“The industry is telling me they have been asked to remove artwork from their vehicles, and I am asking myself why,” Ruto said, directing NTSA to adopt a more accommodating approach toward matatu artwork and graffiti on public service vehicles, provided safety standards are maintained.

Matatu Graffiti Ban Kenya: How the Legal Battle Reached the President

On May 27, 2025, NTSA ordered all public service vehicles bearing graffiti and artistic designs to remove them, stating the modifications were unauthorised.

The authority argued that graffiti obscured vehicle markings and compromised law enforcement visibility. Operators who failed to comply by June 11, 2025 faced vehicle impoundment and suspension of NTSA services including licence renewals.

A legal challenge followed. However, in a judgment delivered on April 29, 2026, Justice Bahati Mwamuye upheld the legality of the 2025 enforcement notice.

The court ruled it was lawful and necessary to promote road safety. It found that public safety outweighed artistic freedom, dealing a blow to hundreds of youths who earn their living from the Nganya ecosystem.

Meanwhile, Ruto’s Friday intervention shifts the political weight of the debate. It arrives after the court handed NTSA a legal victory and before the matatu industry could follow through on a planned work stoppage.

Nganya Culture Supports Thousands of Young Kenyans

The Nganya ecosystem extends well beyond the vehicle. It encompasses drivers, conductors, DJs, graffiti artists, designers, and digital content creators.

Matatu Owners Association Chairperson Albert Karakacha said graffiti culture has created jobs for designers, technicians, and artists, including university-trained professionals.

In addition, critics of the ban point to what they describe as a contradiction in government policy.

A 2014 moratorium under former President Uhuru Kenyatta temporarily halted the criminalization of matatu graffiti. Furthermore, at recent national events, artistically customized matatus were showcased and given awards by state-backed bodies.

However, the case against unchecked graffiti is not without merit. Obscured registration plates, impeded law enforcement access, and vehicles modified in ways that compromise structural safety are genuine concerns. NTSA’s 2025 order was not invented from nothing.

As a result, the policy question now moves back to the executive branch. NTSA will need to clarify how it reconciles the court’s April ruling with the President’s Friday directive.