matatu

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matatu

/məˈtætuː/ UK
/məˈtɑˌtu/ US

noun matatus · matatu

Kenya, Uganda A minivan used as a shared taxi, especially one operating without a licence. A matatu is also more profitable when driven by its owner than by an employed driver, or if the employee-driver pays in all the earnings and the owner meets the operating costs, rather than when the owner demands a fixed sum of money daily, with the operator keeping the surplus.
Similar: daladala, mathree

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noun minivan often used as a share taxi — see also minivan, shared taxi

Kiswahili	daladala

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MLA

"matatu." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/matatu. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

matatu. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/matatu

Chicago

"matatu." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/matatu.

BibTeX

@misc{matatu_2026,
  title = {matatu},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/matatu},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}