Matatu owners: Go slow on crackdown or else...
NTSA officials and traffic police officers during a crackdown at the Marua junction along Nyeri-Nairobi highway on October 1, 2019.
The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has met players in the transport industry in the wake of a new crackdown aimed at reducing road crashes on major highways.
The campaign that officially began yesterday targets rogue drivers, including those who have installed strobe lights on their vehicles, those without permits and public service vehicles that operate at night.
It has been criticised by matatu owners, who have threatened to withdraw their vehicles from roads if their concerns about the operation are not addressed.
Matatu Welfare Association chairman Dickson Mbugua said they held a meeting with NTSA Director-General George Njau and expressed their concerns about how the crackdown was being executed.
“We feel that whereas the intention of the senior managers is good, the enforcers on the ground are there to make money through intimidation and utter demand for bribes.”
He said the director-general assured them that he will consult with other agencies involved in the operation and get back to them by the end of the day.
“Then we shall know what action to take. At the moment, we have not withdrawn our vehicles from the road but if the situation persists, we will decide if to enter into a grand halt,” Mr Mbugua said.
“Of course we are concerned about the rising case of accidents but there are better ways to handle safety campaigns.”
Matatu Owners Association chairman Simon Kimutai also said the crackdown will affect the public transport business.
“A crackdown is a failure by law enforcement to maintain compliance. It is in bad taste and will lead to loss of business,” Mr Kimutai told the Nation yesterday.
The ongoing countrywide operation includes increasing the number of traffic officers on roads alongside officials from the NTSA and the National Intelligence Service.
“In order to reverse the increasing cases of accidents, the NTSA in collaboration with various government agencies is undertaking a Rapid Result Initiative (RRI) on traffic enforcement to reduce the number of road traffic fatalities, ensure efficient and sustainable enforcement and increase compliance with the provisions of the Traffic Act and PSV regulations,” government spokesman Col Cyrus Oguna said on Friday.
