Mbukinya Buses is a public transport company that has been serving passengers for over four decades.
With its head office located in Starehe, Nairobi County, the company operates a vast fleet of over 40 buses from various manufacturers.
Owned by Paul Mburu Muthumbi, a successful entrepreneur who started with a single bus, the company has grown to become one of the most trusted and reliable transport providers in Kenya.
Mr. Muthumbi’s passion for the transport sector was ignited by the sight of buses passing through his village during his younger years.
After selling eggs and chicken in Limuru for 11 years, he managed to save Ksh6,000 and bought his first second-hand bus for Ksh8,000.
He started operating between Limuru and Nairobi and after some time, he acquired a second-hand Mercedes Benz bus. With time, he bought his first new bus in 1972, which enabled him to explore long-distance routes that involved Kisumu and Kakamega.
By the 1980s, Muthumbi had 48 buses, but he had to downsize in the 90s due to high insurance premiums. He later increased the fleet to 39 after acquiring 21 Hino buses from Toyota Kenya in 2014.
The company is now run by Mr. Muthumbi’s children, with the eldest being 61 years old. Mbukinya Buses plies major routes in Kenya, including Western Kenya to Nairobi, Nyanza to Nairobi, and Nairobi to Mombasa.
One of the things that sets Mbukinya Buses apart is its competitive pricing. The company maintains relatively affordable charges, making it accessible to most Kenyans.
This pricing strategy has helped the company stay competitive in the sector.
However, in 2019, the company was embroiled in a faulty Hino buses crisis.
Muthumbi had returned 41 buses he had acquired from Toyota Kenya after they developed severe problems prior to the expiration of their warranties.
The problems included fatal engine and overheating problems, brake failures, and cracks on the chassis.
Toyota Kenya bought out the buses and repaired them, but Muthumbi only took back 14 of them, whose logbooks indicated joint ownership with Toyota Kenya.
He alleged that he had incurred losses in billions, but Toyota Kenya paid him Ksh60 million.
This article was written by Paul Nyongesa.
