Emotional reunion for heroic Nairobi conductor and passenger whose life he saved
In a powerful episode of NTV's Fixing The Nation that aired on Wednesday, April 9, Kenyans witnessed a story that cut through the usual noise of political discord and economic hardship, a story so moving it left an entire television studio in tears.
Mr Telvin Mburu, a dreadlocked matatu tout whose act of extraordinary kindness saved the life of a stranger, came face to face with the woman he had saved in an emotional reunion that rekindled faith in humanity across the country.
"I just did it out of goodwill," said Telvin, unaware that his actions would propel him into the national spotlight and transform him from an ordinary matatu conductor to a symbol of hope for a nation often starved of good news.
The story began a few days ago when a passenger, Ms Viola Nekesa, experienced a life-threatening medical emergency while travelling on Telvin's Rongai-bound 'Nganya' (matatu).
What happened next - a conductor's split-second decision to divert the vehicle, spend the night with a stranger and prioritise a human life over his day's earnings - has since captured the imagination of Kenyans and offered a powerful counter-narrative to the often negative perception of matatu crews.
"I lost someone so important to me because of negligence," Telvin revealed.
His voice broke slightly as he spoke of his mother's death.
"She was sick, and she said she was sick, but the people who were with her didn't bother to take her to hospital. She died while they watched".
This personal tragedy became the driving force behind his act of kindness when Mrs Viola suddenly fell ill on board his Rongai-bound matatu, known as 'Audiophile'.
"She tapped me on the shoulder and said, 'Can you excuse me for a moment? I need some fresh air,'" Telvin said.
He immediately opened the window and asked the other passengers to make way. But by the time they reached the Nyayo roundabout, Viola's condition was rapidly deteriorating.
"She told me, 'I can't breathe. She was shaking. She was just so helpless," he recalls. "I looked at her and thought, 'I've lost one person through negligence. Can I lose another person? No."
Although they had already passed Nyayo Stadium on their way to Rongai, Telvin immediately alerted the driver, Mr Benson Kana, who reversed the vehicle to reach the nearest hospital - a decision that would ultimately save Viola's life.
It's not just the emergency detour that makes Telvin's story remarkable, but what happened next.
While his colleagues continued on to Rongai, Telvin decided to stay with Viola, a stranger at the time, in her moment of crisis.
"I can't leave her here," he decided.
"Firstly, I don't think anyone knows she's in distress. Secondly, she's not anyone I know. In fact, it was the first time I ever carried her."
As Viola drifted in and out of consciousness, Telvin asked for her trust and her phone password so he could handle the crisis.
"I'm the one who took care of all the details they needed. I'm the one who called their insurance company. I'm the one who registered them. I'm the one who made sure all the lab tests were done. I'm the one who talked to the doctor."
He stayed by Viola's side until almost midnight, when she was transferred to Sinai Hospital. In a particularly moving moment, he held her hand in the hospital bed and later reflected, "I wish I could have held my mother's hand in a situation like this. But now it is not possible".
Even more remarkable was his attitude to the potential loss of income.
"If you think you need to be paid whatever I was supposed to be paid in the evening, you can have it, because life is priceless," he told his colleagues.
The story could have ended there, an anonymous act of kindness shared only on social media.
But when Viola called into NTV's Fixing the Nation programme, where Telvin was being interviewed, their reunion brought a country to tears.
“If not for you, my kids would not have a mother right now. My parents would not have a daughter,” said Viola, her voice trembling with emotion.
Now discharged from the hospital and recovering at home, she explained how she had initially shared her experience on social media out of simple gratitude, never imagining it would capture national attention.
“I didn’t know this far God can work in mysterious ways. What you did is what God is now showing the whole world, how innocent and kind you are,” said Viola.
For many Kenyans, this story serves as a powerful contrast to recent reports of matatu passengers being mistreated or even thrown from moving vehicles.
“I cried when I heard the story of that passenger who was thrown out. I was just remembering on that sickbed, what if this was my story?” Viola shared.
Instead, her story became one of extraordinary humanity in an ordinary setting, challenging widespread stereotypes about matatu crews, often characterized by their “unruly behaviour.”
Throughout his newfound fame, Telvin has maintained a humble perspective that has resonated deeply with Kenyans.
“You don’t need to do something big so that people can notice you. Just do things out of goodwill. When the time is right, when God’s time is right, it will definitely come to you,” he advises.
As for Viola, the message is equally clear: “Kenyans, we still have good people. Good people still exist. And these are the kind of people who should be sitting in these big positions.”
nkirimi@ke.nationmedia.com