The Motorists Association of Kenya (MAK) has officially requested the government to assume complete authority over the nation’s public transportation system from private entities.
Through a declaration released on Saturday, June 6, the transportation organization contended that the existing framework has been inadequate for Kenyan citizens, pointing out continuous dangerous driving behaviors, chaos, and hazardous circumstances riders confront each day.
“Public Transportation must revert to government management. This division has not fulfilled its primary responsibility of providing respectable, secure public mobility,” declared MAK.
MAK indicated that the informal shuttle transportation model, which has controlled Kenya’s roadways for many years, cannot be relied upon to manage an industry valued at billions of shillings.
The organization voiced apprehension regarding the welfare of regular travelers, numerous whom lack options but to utilize matatus daily.
In addition to safety issues, the MAK highlighted excessively loud music, inappropriate material within vehicles, and improper behavior as evidence that the transportation field has completely lost its order.
The group maintained that governmental assumption of control is not merely required but immediate, asserting that the citizenry deserves appropriate, secure, and respectable transportation options.
“Riders and passengers persistently face hazardous driving practices, overwhelming noise, inappropriate materials, irresponsible actions and overall chaos,” stated MAK.
Presently, private entities manage between 90 and 95 percent of the nation’s road-based public transportation, leaving governmental involvement under 5 percent in direct operations.
Private service providers, primarily grouped under Savings and Cooperative Societies (SACCOs), autonomously establish routes, pricing, and timetables with minimal governmental guidance.
The government’s function has predominantly been as a regulatory authority and infrastructure supporter, with restricted operational involvement through Kenya Railways and experimental Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems guided by the Nairobi Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (NaMATA).
This appeal for comprehensive transformation by MAK occurs as Nairobi County has documented numerous lethal matatu collisions this year, bringing renewed concern about the human toll of the uncontrolled transportation field.
A matatu operating on the Nairobi-CBD-Komarock route under Risen SACCO overturned along Enterprise Road in Industrial Area after the driver performed dangerous stunts popularly known as Manyoka, killing seven people.
Previously in March, a Kiwaliru SACCO matatu became uncontrollable on the Ruaka-Githogoro Highway and struck a billboard during the morning of March 21.
January also commenced with a fatal beginning to the year, when a bus and matatu collided along the Nairobi-Naivasha Highway near Karai in the initial hours of January 5.
These accidents have been increasing despite the (NTSA) instructing all Public Service Vehicle (PSV) operators and staff to exercise utmost care and strictly follow traffic laws or encounter legal consequences.