The planned phasing out of 14 seater public vehicles is on course and as expected the big investors in the industry are not taking it well.
The government had revealed in 2014 that licences for vehicles carrying less than 25 passengers will not be renewed from January this year.
Owners of public service vehicles have since accused the transport regulator of failing to renew the licences of 14-seater matatus, vowing not to get them off the road unless the President issues the order.
Matatu Owners Association chairman Simon Kimutai said that the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) had by Monday blocked owners of 14-seaters from accessing the portal used by operators to apply for or renew their road licences after their annual inspection. “We want NTSA to reinstate the issuance of licences to 14-seaters who have complied without much noise,” Mr Kimutai told reporters in Nairobi on Monday.
Meanwhile, 24 matatu saccos have moved to court seeking to compel the government to continue licensing the 14-seater matatus. Do you think the NTSA is capable of bowing to their wishes?
In a petition filed in the High Court, the saccos including Latema, Nzigi, Hannover Trans Ltd and Mariba, oppose plans by the government to phase out the 14-seaters.
Through lawyer Harrison Kinyanjui, the saccos also accuse the government of involving people they believe to be ‘cartels’ in the planned management of the BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) to lock out genuine matatu owners. They argued that the government has not put in place a legislative framework for the BRT.
In a press conference last week the matatus sacco led by their chairman Jimal Ibrahim accused the government of not consulting widely when trying to implement changes on the roads and making decisions that are now coming to haunt them.
The government has been under pressure to decongest Nairobi to ease traffic jams.
In 2014, the government said traffic jams lead to a loss of about Sh50 million worth of productivity every day.
During the second session of the United Nations Environment Assembly in Gigiri between May 23-27, Unep head of transport Rob de Jong urged Kenya to adopt a mass bus transport system to address air pollution.