Matiang’i hatambui Waheshimiwa! Meru MCAs arrested for violating Michuki rules

A  mechanic works on a matatu in Meru town to comply with 'Michuki rules'. /DENNIS DIBONDO

It seems Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i crackdown on un-roadworthy vehicles will not even spare the usual ‘big fish.’ The no nonsense CS is wants all vehicles on the road to follow the strict laws also known as Michuki rules.

And if you don’t follow them, you will be arrested and charged in court regardless of your societal status. Two MCAs from Meru County assembly found themselves in hot soup on  Monday after they were arrested violating the rules

Antubetwe Kiongo MCA George Kaliunga and Kianjai’s John Bundi were arrested and arraigned in court. They appeared before Meru chief magistrate Hannah Ndung’u and were charged with failing to maintain their vehicles.

Kaliunga was charged with driving a vehicle with a cracked windscreen. He pleaded with the court to release him, saying his windscreen was damaged when traveling on a road under construction. He said a stone hit his windscreen as a lorry drove ahead of him.

Image result for Matiang'i on matatus hiking fares

He was fined Sh 3,000 with an alternative of spending three months in prison. Bundi was charged for having defective rear brake lights. He was fined Sh 2,000.

The crackdown on Matatus hit week two on Monday, even as passengers complain on how rogue Matatu operators have doubled fares due to the crackdown.

For the second week in a row, Kenyans were charged more than three times the normal fares on Nairobi routes. Last week, Matiang’i warned the operators who have hiked fares that they will have their licenses revoked.

Morning commuters scramble for space in a matatu on November 12, 2018. PHOTO | MARTIN MUKANGU

“I am aware that the Transport CS has instructed NTSA to review the licenses of those Saccos that are not operating today, because when you are licensed you are not licensed to blackmail people. You are licensed to do a business and if you are doing business on the basis of blackmail then it is time to relook at all those licenses all over again,”

He also instructed traffic police officers to stop matatus and ask passengers how much fare they have been charged. That has not happened up to now.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *