Election blues costing us Sh75m a day, say matatus
A police officer looks at the documents of a driver at the Railway bus terminus in Nairobi on September 6 when the NTSA, with police help, cracked down on unroadworthy public service vehicles. photo | evans habil | nmg
What you need to know:
- Matatu Owners Association chairman Simon Kimutai said the sector’s nationwide earnings, which translate to about Sh300 million per day, have shrunk by 25 per cent since last Friday.
- Mr Kimutai said the economy is being held to ransom by politicians and as a result limiting business activities especially in the transport sector.
The matatu industry says it has been losing an estimated Sh75 million every day since last week when the Supreme Court annulled the declaration of Mr Uhuru Kenyatta as president following the August 8 General Election.
Speaking at a Nairobi hotel on Wednesday, Matatu Owners Association chairman Simon Kimutai said the sector’s nationwide earnings, which translate to about Sh300 million per day, have shrunk by 25 per cent since the announcement last Friday.
He said the sector has been witnessing a drop in revenue because many Kenyans are still living in fear while some operators have withdrawn their vehicles from the roads and adopting a wait-and-see attitude ahead of a fresh round of voting planned for next month.
“The sector generates about Sh300 million per day in revenue and this has shrunk by about 25 per cent since the Supreme Court annulled the re-election of President Kenyatta,’ he said.
Mr Kimutai said the economy is being held to ransom by politicians and as a result limiting business activities especially in the transport sector.
He called on all political sides to give the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) the space needed to organise the election of the country’s next president.
Mr Kimutai said the IEBC is the only independent body mandated by the Constitution to set a presidential date in any poll.
“If October 17 has been declared as the date for elections, we will stand with you. Hold the elections on the same date. You should not be blackmailed and neither should you yield to any kind of pressure from politicians,” said Mr Kimutai.
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Kenya’s electoral body on Monday chose October 17 as the date for a new vote ordered by the Supreme Court when it annulled the August polls.
The date for a repeat election has so far been rejected by Nasa presidential candidate Raila Odinga.
Mr Odinga said on Tuesday that he will not accept the date, arguing that the IEBC failed to consult him and other stakeholders as stipulated by law.
The top court in the land found that the IEBC did not conduct the elections in accordance with the Constitution and the Elections Act.
The matatu industry is one of the largest employers in the country, especially for young people, and contributes millions of shillings to the economy every day in the value chain.
Garages, spare parts dealers and petrol stations are among the sub-sectors that directly earn from serving this sector.
