A high school student has died after allegedly being pushed out of a matatu along Thika Road in Nairobi over a Sh20 fare dispute.

According to reports, the student was thrown out of the moving public service vehicle by the conductor after failing to pay the additional Sh20 demanded as fare.

The victim reportedly fell onto the road and was run over by another vehicle. Good Samaritans rushed the student to hospital, but he died on the way.

The student was heading home after his school was closed indefinitely.

Police have since impounded the matatu involved, while efforts to trace and arrest the driver and conductor are ongoing.

The incident has sparked outrage on social media, with many Kenyans expressing grief and anger over the loss of a young life over what they described as a negligible amount of money. Others questioned why fellow passengers failed to intervene or help raise the fare.

The tragedy comes just two days after the High Court sentenced a driver and conductor to 10 years in prison each for causing the death of another student, Doreen Kinya, in 2018 after she fell from an overspeeding vehicle.

Kenya has witnessed several similar incidents involving passengers being pushed out of public service vehicles following fare disputes.

In February this year, 25-year-old petrol station attendant Joseph Mureithi was seriously injured after allegedly being ejected from a Super Metro bus along the Kitengela-Namanga Road following a disagreement over fare. Detectives later arrested those linked to the incident.

In March last year, Gilbert Thuo Kimani died after he was allegedly pushed from a Super Metro bus near Kahawa Sukari on Thika Road over a Sh30 fare balance.

Another passenger lost his life in May 2023 after being thrown out of an Embassava Sacco bus in Nairobi following a disagreement with the conductor over fare.