Relief for commuters as NTSA lifts ban on Embassava Sacco

The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has lifted a ban imposed on Embassava Sacco whose matatus operate in Nairobi.

Director Francis Meja however said only 273 Passenger Service Vehicles (PSV) out of the 733 said to belong to the Sacco would be allowed to operate as they have complied with set regulations.

“The rest of the matatus would still have to be inspected and comply with the rules before they are allowed to go back to the road,” he said on Tuesday in his office soon after a meeting with the Sacco officials.

He said that although Embassava claims to have 733 PSVs, only 661 are in the NTSA register.

The lifting of the ban come as a relief to commuters using the Eastlands route whose options for transport have been reduced by the suspension of the Embassava Sacco buses following an accident on July 18.

The road crash that involved an Embassava bus and another public service vehicle belonging to Forward Travelers Sacco led to the death of the Forward Sacco driver while another 21 passengers were injured.

TRAFFIC LIGHTS

The Authority blamed the Embassava bus driver for the crash adding that he failed to obey traffic lights at the junction of Jogoo Road and Rabai Road.

Following the crash and the blanket ban on all Embassava vehicles, matatu crew in the country threatened to go on a countrywide strike against NTSA.

The Matatu Welfare Association (MWA) chairman Mr Dickson Mbugua said the collective punishment was an abuse of their rights.

But on Tuesday, the strike was called off after MWA met with the Ministry of Transport Principal Secretary John Musonik and NTSA officials.

“Following the meeting between the PS, NTSA and the matatu personnel, the strike scheduled for tomorrow (Wednesday) has been called off,” said Mr Meja while addressing the press in his office.

Mr Mbugua on the other hand told Nation.co.ke on phone that public transport would not be disrupted following the tripartite meeting adding that “our issues will be looked into”.

During the meeting, MWA condemned the blanket ban on Saccos but were asked to come up with alternative means of punishing errant drivers.

Mr Meja said a meeting has been scheduled in two weeks to look into the MWA recommendation adding that the blanket ban was necessary in installing discipline and ensuring self-regulation.

The matatu drivers and conductors also complained over unplanned route allocation saying some routes had too many Saccos operating raising conflicts.

The PSV crew also sought more information on the ban of 14 seater matatus with the ministry telling them that the government had not completely banned the matatus but had only done so in major cities and towns to avoid congestion.