10 years grace period! Mt Kenya Matatu operators file fresh demands

Image result for matatu cbd banMt Kenya has recently been on the spot for politics and making fresh demands as they prepare for 2022 politics.However as some are ricocheting their guns in preparation for the top most position and influence in the politics, another section is spending sleepless night in a bid to take busines to the next level.

Plans to phase out the 14 seater Matatus has been met with a blow after Mt Kenya Matatu and Boda boda operators in the Mount Kenya region and counties under the Nairobi metropolis have opposed the government’s plan to phase out 14 seater matatus and replace them with high capacity buses under the proposed Bus Rapid Transport System (BRTS).

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The government under the transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia had said that 11 commuter trains and 64 high-capacity buses will be in Nairobi by February as part of plans to phase out minibuses, popularly known as matatus.

Macharia spoke as some matatu sacco managers complained that the road service licences for their matatus were not being renewed by the National Transport and Safety Authority.

The operators, who held a meeting at Ruiru stadium, said phasing out of the 14 seater matatus and the introduction of the new system was being implemented haphazardly by the government without involving all the relevant stakeholders.Image result for matatu cbd ban

They said they were seeking the new system to be deferred for ten years in order to allow for proper consultations, public participation and planning.
Chairman of Mount Kenya Matatu Owners Association Joseph Mungai said they were opposed to the new system since it was being implemented without them being involved bearing in mind they will be the worst hit by its introduction.Related image
Mungai who is also the chairman of BRTS affected regions said introduction of the new transport system without proper consultations will result in to millions of jobs being lost.
He said as Matatu operators, they were seeking to be involved and consulted in the rolling out of the new transport system.
“We have 3 million people who have been employed directly and additional 4 million people who have been employed indirectly who will now become jobless once the new system is implemented immediately,” said Mungai.

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