No end to matatu woes

An agreement between matatu operators and the government has not been implemented, the lobby groups that signed the deal two weeks ago have said.

The groups said at a meeting called by the Nairobi City Council on Thursday that both the police and council askaris (security) were still harassing them.

Bribery and extortion goes on unabated as vehicles continue being impounded for minor traffic offences, participants at the meeting called by mayor Geoffrey Majiwa said.

Reduce chaos

Vehicles that are said to belong to top civil servants and police officers still enjoy preferential treatment by the law enforcers, they lamented.

The Matatu Owners Association (MOA) chairman Simon Kimutai said self-regulation and a provision for the joint management of matatu termini with the council would be key to reducing chaos and corruption in the sector.

Mr Dickson Mbugua of the Matatu Welfare Association asked the council to mark all designated bus stops and implement the resolutions agreed on at the end of the matatu strike early this month.

Mr Kimutai said constant harassment and extortion by the law enforcers had reduced matatu owners to “poor millionaires” as their investments did not match their returns.

Town clerk Philip Kisia admitted that council employees had failed in their duties and asked the operators to help end bribery. “My plea to you is to stop bribing my people,” he told the matatu crews and owners.

Nairobi deputy traffic commandant Leonard Katana asked the operators and the authorities to stop the blame game. “We all have issues which must be looked into,” he added.

He said officers would not be allowed to damage vehicles and confiscate crews’ documents unless the papers were fake.

Instant tickets

MOA has proposed the introduction of instant tickets and notices to appear in court for offenders, which the lobby says would reduce corruption by 70 per cent.

It was the first time the council had convened a meeting to hear the industry’s grievances, and those who spoke were unhappy with the way the authority had managed public transport in the city.

The deputy director of inspectorate in charge of operations, Mr Israel Origi, called for the formation of a standing committee to look into the grievances and monitor the implementation of agreements.