Driver Returns R2 500 and Laptop to Student Who Forgot Them in His Vehicle
- On Sunday, September 5, an MKU student forgot his backpack which had his laptop and R2 500 school fees in a matatu
- Ian Gitau was scared that the money which his mother had struggled to get was lost but fortunately the items landed in the hands of an honest driver
- Basilio Kimani, the matatu driver did not hesitate to give back the bag and all the items that were in it including the R2 500
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On Sunday, September 5, a Mount Kenya University (MKU) student Ian Gitau boarded a matatu at Blue Post Hotel so that he could make it to school.
Source: UGC
He had come from Mwea and was already a week late to school because he had not yet raised enough school fees for that semester.
Upon arrival at his destination, the young man who had luggage and a backpack in his hand, alighted from the vehicle to pick the luggage but in the process, forgot his bag which had a laptop and R2 500 meant for school fees.
He would later notice that he had left his backpack in the matatu but by this time, it was too late as it had gone and he neither knew the plate number nor the Sacco of the vehicle.
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Efforts to trace the matatu
What would follow was frantic efforts by the student to get back his bag as his stay on the campus was heavily dependent on whether he would get the money.
"He called me and told me something bad happened and at first, I thought it was an accident but he told me he had lost the bag where I had kept the school fees," Gitau's mother said adding she screamed in pain because she had toiled tooth and nail to get that money.
The following day, they reported the matter to the police station but they were informed they could not be helped without the car's plate number.
They would spend the entire Monday visiting every matatu booking office in Thika, asking about the bag and the money.
Honest driver
The next day, they went to KST Sacco offices in Thika and they were in luck as they found the bag in their office and the laptop was inside.
The matatu driver was later given a call and he confirmed that he had the money and in 20 minutes, he met up with the MKU student and returned the money.
"I had the money in my pocket and I knew that when someone shows up to claim the bag, they would also ask for the money which I had kept safe," Basilio Kimani, the driver said.
Interestingly, on the day he had the R2 500, he only made R25 from his job but his 'lack' of enough money did not even tempt him to hold on to the cash.
"I knew it did not belong to me and I was happy to give it back," the driver added.
Source: Briefly News
Maryn Blignaut (Human-Interest HOD) Maryn Blignaut is the Human Interest manager and feature writer. She holds a BA degree in Communication Science, which she obtained from the University of South Africa in 2016. She joined the Briefly - South African News team shortly after graduating and has over six years of experience in the journalism field. Maryn passed the AFP Digital Investigation Techniques course (Google News Initiative), as well as a set of trainings for journalists by Google News Initiative. You can reach her at: maryn.blignaut@briefly.co.za
Kelly Lippke (Senior Editor) Kelly Lippke is a copy editor/proofreader who started her career at the Northern-Natal Courier with a BA in Communication Science/Psychology (Unisa, 2007). Kelly has worked for several Caxton publications, including the Highway Mail and Northglen News. Kelly’s unique editing perspective stems from an additional major in Linguistics. Kelly joined Briefly News in 2018 and she has 14 years of experience. Kelly has also passed a set of trainings by Google News Initiative. You can reach her at kelly.lippke@briefly.co.za.
