For many years, Kenya’s public transport sector has been characterised by flagrant breaches of the Highway Code, overlapping, obstruction of other road users, double parking and outright impunity.
Add to that corruption.
The matatus have distinguished themselves as a messy, uncontrolled operation by cartels whose by-word is jungle law. At the centre of the current crackdown is how to regain control of the public transport sector from the jaws of threatening cartels and secure the multibillion-shilling industry for both the investor and the commuting public at its mercy.
Last year, the government announced plans to phase out the 14 seater matatus from the Kenyan roads in a bid to deal with the perennial traffic jam normally witnessed in Nairobi and other neighbouring towns.
However 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).
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.
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.
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.
With rising insecurity, compounded by the lawlessness of mushrooming boda bodas, the government was duty-bound to step in. And when it did, it was met with the expected resistance, protests and boycotts.
Yet neither side is clean. Schemes by operators to bend the stiff conditions are always met with extortion by law enforcers in an uncanny relationship that has fostered corruption and left death in its wake.
After months of stakeholder consultations, the government finally set the deadline for compliance. It was predictably ignored by most operators who pulled their vehicles off the road in what government interpreted as blackmail.
Why cant the Matatu operators from Mt Kenya comply?