Saccos fail to rein in matatus as more people die on the road

The admission by the Ongata Line Travellers Sacco that it was unable to tame the crew of the minibus that rolled on Lang’ata Road last week, killing four, has raised concern on the ability of industry operators to self-regulate.

This, even as data from the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) shows that the number of deaths on the road this year is set to surpass 2015 figures.

A majority of deaths are caused by Public Service Vehicles (PSVs), a reversal of last year’s numbers where privately owned vehicles caused the highest number of accidents.

A list from NTSA provided to the Sunday Nation contains 21 saccos the agency says are notorious for flouting the speed limits. It is urging the public to exercise caution about them.

Five saccos: Kisumu Ahero Mowouk, Daima Connection Ltd, Narok Line Services, Sema Stage Sacco and Mwingi Travellers have been banned for violation of traffic rules and inability of their management to regulate them.

PSV operators blame the situation on the formation of splinter saccos, which has led to an increase in the demand for bus terminuses.

“Corruption has been there for some time now so it is not something that we can deny,” Matatu Welfare Association (MWA) Chairman Dickson Mbugua said.

“The root of this problem comes from NTSA which is allowing splinter sacco groups to form within saccos. With more saccos comes unnecessary competition which leads to flouting of rules and corruption,” he said.

Commuters from Rongai have, for the last four days, been forced to pay almost twice what they are normally charged to commute to the capital after NTSA deregistered the Ongata Line Travellers Sacco, blaming it for failing to rein in its crew.

So far, the driver of the matatu that rolled last Sunday near the Lang’ata police station on its way to town has not been identified.

It has been said that the sacco was deregistered because its management failed to produce the driver for prosecution as demanded by the agency during a meeting on Tuesday.

“Their (sacco) role is to ensure that speed governors of individual vehicles are not tampered with and the vehicles are operating within the law, but this is not happening,” Mr Francis Meja, the managing director of NTSA, told the Sunday Nation.

“The law requires them to self-regulate. It is up to them to ensure that they operate within the law,” he added.

UNREALISTIC DEMANDS
Matatu Owners Association (MOA) on the other hand accuses NTSA of creating the situation by sidelining it when making key decisions that affect management of saccos.

“When saccos were formed, it was for the purposes of organising routes. It was our idea. From this came up rules and regulations that we actually recommended but apparently NTSA hijacked the process and pushed us aside,” chairman Simon Kimutai said.

“And then they became the enforcers, that is where we got it wrong,” he added.

When they were first formed seven years ago through a government directive after the collapse of the famous Michuki Rules, the intention was to instil discipline in the sector.

According to then Transport Minister Amos Kimunya, forcing matatus to form saccos was going to force crew to behave, ensure accountability and force regularisation of fares.

This appears to have worked for some time as accidents declined with NTSA data showing private vehicles contributed 35 per cent of deaths on Kenyan roads while PSVs caused 20 per cent, the lowest since the agency was formed in 2012.

Both MOA and MWA insist that saccos are still in control of their members and the accidents being witnessed are isolated incidents.

However, Mr Tom Orina, a driver on the Dandora-Nairobi route, says unrealistic demands by saccos, vehicle owners and traffic police are the reason matatu drivers speed as they have to meet daily targets or risk losing jobs.

“You have to remember that one vehicle not only feeds its owner but also the sacco management, the police and route cartels and all of them have set targets on the amount of money you are supposed to give them. And this is before you pay yourself,” he explained.

“The demands are higher if the vehicle is new which means you have to make as many trips as possible, otherwise you will go home hungry and without a job the next day,” he said.

While saccos collect from between Sh500 and Sh2,000 as operation fees, a majority of them are largely not well organised, have no structure apart from office holders, and the officials who collect cess from vehicles.