Why long distance drivers strike could hurt regional trade
A section of long-distance drivers during a press briefing in Nairobi. They have given the government seven days to reverse an order requiring truck drivers to take a new driving test, failing which they will go on strike on July 12.
Business at the port of Mombasa and on the Northern Corridor is expected to be disrupted as truckers down tools on Wednesday to protest a new directive requiring them to take a new driving test.
Kenya Long Distance Truck Drivers Union (KLDTDU) Secretary-General Roman Waema said their 21-day strike notice to the government to address their concerns expires on Tuesday.
The National Transport and Road Safety Authority (NTSA) directive requires drivers with Class B3, D1, D2, D3, C, C1, C2, CE and CD licences to be retested every three years when their licences expire.
"We have issued a 21-day notice to address many issues, including the retest, affecting transporters. But the Department of Transport has been silent, so we will be downing our tools from July 12," said Mr Waema.
"We asked the NTSA to involve stakeholders before implementing the directive, but they ignored us. Apart from the process, the exercise will be a financial burden on drivers who already earn low incomes," said Mr Waema.
He said the union had suggested to the ministry and NTSA that instead of imposing costly retesting, they should introduce free refresher courses for PSV drivers as an alternative to continuous road safety training.
The union's president, Mr Sudi Mwatela, said since the exercise began, a number of drivers had been denied licences, while some had not renewed their licences because of the cumbersome process.
"We have no option but to withdraw our services, which will affect the movement of goods to and from the Port of Mombasa and the various container freight terminals," said Mr Mwatela.
The periodic retesting will be mandatory, conducted every three years before a driver renews their licence, and will target those driving matatus, taxis, and commercial and school buses.
If the industrial action is not averted, more than 2,000 containers moved by trucks from Mombasa to the hinterland will be affected, causing congestion at the port and various depots.
The Northern Corridor starts at the port of Mombasa and is a major 1,700km trade route serving Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and eastern DRC.
