Are matatus on strike justifiable or should the government cancel their licence?
Kenyans woke up to a rude shock on Monday morning when matatus boycotted their daily routine to contest for Michuki rules which were to be in effect as per the government directive.
Matatus are relied by millions of Kenyans who use them in their daily activities and to be ferried to work , so taking an advantage over the matter has left the transport cs furious.
07:39 I support #MichukiRules if these are kind of matatus operating on our roads its time to restore the rules for the better of everyone in our country. @EstherPassaris #KenyanTrafficAutoParts pic.twitter.com/DY0ejHsEjM via @SmartleoH
— KenyanTraffic (@KenyanTraffic) November 12, 2018
However the sector has been hit with a major blow when the transport cabinet secretary James Macharia gave a directive to deal with all matatus that had boycotted the transport of civilians.
“If you’ve been given a licence and you are not using it, we might as well revoke it. If the vehicle is not on the road, we will start taking action now”said James Macharia.
Even though ,the government has ordered Kenya Railways to increase the frequency of commuter trains and reduce fares by 10 per cent, the problem cannot be solved as trains are effective on long distances,
Billions and billions and billions of people taking the train #MatatuStrike #MatatuCrackdown pic.twitter.com/JpVG548mgF
— Droid (@droid254) November 12, 2018
“To ensure the public will be able to continue with their day to day activities in nation building, Kenya Railways Corporation is hereby directed to increase the number and frequency of commuter trains to all routes and also reduce fare by 10 per cent,” reads a statement by James Machari, CS Transport He called on the public to support the government efforts in order to realise the long term benefits for all Kenyans.
Several passengers were stranded on Monday as authorities moved to enforce public transport safety rules in Kenya. Few public service vehicles that were in operation after complying with the rules hiked or doubled their fares to various destinations.
A spot check on major routes showed many people were walking to their destinations as police enforced the crackdown. This caused transport crisis in many parts of the country and especially urban areas. Trains that usually operate on few routes in Nairobi were full of passengers. Passengers were seen scrambling to board the trains that were available.
It is the high time the government comes to rescue the transport of Kenya or else the “Wanjiku” will suffer to death