14 -seater matatus operating outside Nairobi Central Business District will not be affected with the new matatu directives.
The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) says the 14-seater matatu ban will affect only those terminating within the CBD, even as operators claim the move has caused more confusion.
In a statement on Wednesday, NTSA clarified that licensing of vehicles that do not pass through Nairobi’s CBD will continue.
But the Association of Matatu Operators says that NTSA has not put in place a mechanism of implementation of the same hence creating confusion since the Road Service Licence (RSL) issued to Saccos and companies indicates routes that can be operated by vehicles belonging to such organisations regardless of capacity.
“The authority continues to renew road service licence (RSL) for all 14-seater PSV’s that do not pass through central business district (CBD) of Nairobi City. We are indeed facilitating and encouraging the 14-seater PSV operators, especially those who have access to CBD to get alternative routes,” reads the statement by NTSA.
NTSA further states that it has complied with the court order issued on December 19, 2018 suspending the directive.
The order was obtained by 24 matatu saccos.
But Association of Matatu Operators spokesperson John Methu Njoroge said that the NTSA directive has caused confusion since the RSLs are issued to saccos and companies for routes.
Mr Njoroge, who is also the chairman of Metro Trans East Africa, says that most of the saccos and companies have vehicles of different capacities in their fleet and NTSA has not explained how to differentiate