Should 14-seater matatus be phaseout?
Matatu operators have given the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) 72 hours to reverse planned phaseout of 14-seater minibuses failure to which they have threatened to take undisclosed action.
The owners of public service vehicles have accused the transport regulator of failing to renew the licences of 14-seater matatus, vowing not to get them off the road unless the President issues the order.
Matatu Owners Association chairman Simon Kimutai said that the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) had by Monday blocked owners of 14-seaters from accessing the portal used by operators to apply for or renew their road licences after their annual inspection. “We want NTSA to reinstate the issuance of licences to 14-seaters who have complied without much noise,” Mr Kimutai told reporters in Nairobi on Monday.
18:03 This matatu doing 130 from Bungoma to Eldoret now… we cant overtake it with private at 120 @ntsa_kenya @ig pic.twitter.com/2mBvJGOHP1 via @MosesWanami
— KenyanTraffic (@KenyanTraffic) December 10, 2018
24 matatu saccos have moved to court seeking to compel the government to continue licensing the 14-seater matatus.
In a petition filed in the High Court, the saccos including Latema, Nzigi, Hannover Trans Ltd and Mariba, oppose plans by the government to phase out the 14-seaters.
Through lawyer Harrison Kinyanjui, the saccos also accuse the government of involving people they believe to be ‘cartels’ in the planned management of the BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) to lock out genuine matatu owners. They argued that the government has not put in place a legislative framework for the BRT.
However the government has in the past said it is planning to make the roads safer and more efficient, but at a cost. The Interior ministry says plans are underway to also sanitize the sector to attract investors who have initially been locked out by cartels.
The sanitization operation wants to wipe away criminal gangs, rogue matatus, politicians and corrupt traffic cops. In September, a matatu rammed into a patrol car damaging it during chaos in Nairobi Central Business District.
The gangs are known to extort money from vehicle owners. However, the Fred Matiang’i-led ministry will launch the operation in two weeks to get rid of the multi-billion-shilling cartel.
Apart from improved efficiency, Matiang’i has promised a multi-agency team which involves the National Intelligence Service.
The agency will play a leading role in clearing the city of cartels such as Mungiki, who control the criminals, with rogue officers turning a blind eye.
The NIS will be tasked with nabbing the networks and cartels who have contributed to passengers’ suffering in the operation described as “ruthless and painful”.