Matatu Owners call for self-regulation as static traffic police removed from roads

 National Chairman of the Matatu Owners Association Simon Kimutai address the press after a consultative meeting in Kisumu with the Association's Members-Photo By Dickson Odhiambo

By Dickson Odhiambo

March 8, 2020

Matatu Owners call for self-regulation as static traffic police removed from roads

MATATU Owners Association has called for self-regulation of the Industry as they laud the National Government’s recent move to do away with all the traffic police officers standing by the road side across the country.

Led by the National Chairman of the Matatu Owners Association Simon Kimutai, the Matatu Owners said now there is need to advise its members on the issue of self-regulation.

Addressing the members of the Association during a consultative forum in Kisumu, the Matatu Owners Association National Chairman Simon Kimutai said there is now need by the members of the Association do what the law says and stick to that.

He says for a very long time there has been complaints of extortion and bribery on the roads which he has termed as being very ugly, adding that this was so visible.

Kimutai says over a long period of time, the matatu owners were losing about 30 percent of the gross revenue at any given time, adding that the association has thanked the Inspector General of Police for taking a bold move to remove the static traffic Police officers from the Roads.

“There are key issues which needs to be addressed on road safety and behavior because behavioral problems has been haunting public transport giving a very bad picture in the industry,” Kimutai says.

He urges public transport owners to fully take responsibilities and be able to manage their businesses in the right way.

He asks them to ensure that there is proper organization in service giving, adding the industry is a good one but has been abused for a long time.

“We know it very well that public transport at any moment is a tool of economic activities and no country can do without it. It is a very important business but it has been abused for a long period of time,” Kimutai adds.

He further says that currently the Association has embarked on educating its members on ensuring that the cartels in the business is kept at bay and don’t take control of the Industry.

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