Vote with your feet to end crashes on Kenyan roads

In July 2016, the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) suspended Transline Matatu Sacco's licence after an accident on the Narok-Mai Mahiu road. The accident claimed nine lives when the matatu burst into flames after ramming into a lorry. On investigation, it was discovered that the PSV did not have a permit for night operations. A couple of days later, it was reported that the Authority had lifted the suspension against the Sacco.

Late last month, NTSA deregistered Ongata Line Sacco after the accident that claimed four lives and seriously injured other passengers on September 25, citing serious violations of the National Transport and Safety Act of 2014.

There have been numerous other de-registrations and suspensions of Sacco licences. However, instead of taming the public transportation sector, the number of road-related deaths this year is expected to exceed 2015’s, with public service vehicles being responsible for the highest number of accidents.

When the concept of Saccos was introduced seven years ago, the intention was to inculcate discipline in the sector. Unfortunately, the list of misdemeanors, with the associated death count, has continued to steadily rise.

Flouting speed limits, dangerous driving, ill-mannered staff, the list is endless. I am yet to come across anyone on the road who has been spared the atrocious behaviour that comes with public service vehicles, especially the newer mini buses.

What is clear is that attempts to tame the sector have fallen flat, and the road carnage we are experiencing is going to continue rising.

The industry is rife with knee-jerk reactions and there does not seem to be any cohesive attempt to stem the indiscipline that is claiming lives and terrorising road users. The last incident with Ongata Line Saccos is a good case in point. It took significant public outcry for the NTSA to undertake any action, yet I know for a fact that Langata road users have been lodging complaints against these mini-buses for quite a long time.

After the Sacco deregistration was done, bumps and rumble strips followed on the relevant section of the road in quick succession. In the case of this accident, there was a significant amount of carelessness, greed and a disrespect for human life that cannot be resolved by painting the road, putting up bumps or reducing the speed limit.

Unless we force a culture change by pushing the right behaviour and penalising the wrong conduct, nothing in the sector is going to change. A couple of years ago, the Michuki rules had set the stage for the change we expected to right the sector – an uncompromising attitude towards protecting the sanctity of human life and bringing much needed discipline into it.

The public transportation industry is severely lacking in the kind of leadership that puts the interests of the citizens above all else, whether it be cartels, matatu associations or the business owners who encourage the flagrant abuse of rules on the road.

Culture change goes a lot further than action by the transport authority. The industry needs a multi-pronged approach that includes law makers and citizens. We have, for a long time, talked about the conflict of interest posed by the country’s police force when they can own property in the same sector that they are expected to be supervising. Despite this fact being well known, there does not seem to be any will in cracking down on the current state of affairs.

In my view though, power mostly lies with us as road users. A World Health Organisation report indicated that between 3,000 and 13,000 Kenyans lose their lives in road accidents every year. The most vulnerable groups are pedestrians, motorcyclists and cyclists, followed by passengers in what is categorised as unsafe forms of public transportation. Moreover, road accidents are now considered the leading cause of deaths among the 15-29 age group globally, with the pace of change in road safety strategies being considered too slow and in many cases, ineffectual.

As was exhibited in the last incident related to the Langata Road accident, voting with our feet can be a highly effective tactic. We hear about this all the time. At the scene of an accident, the survivors report on how badly the bus they were in was being driven.

We have also heard though, how when some passengers register their ire they either get ignored by the driver or hushed by fellow passengers. This is the beauty of having apps such as Ma3route, the platform that allows information sharing among road users.

This is not only valuable for road safety enforcers, but even more so for users. It can allow for consumers to start a revolution against service providers who they feel are violating their rights or refusing to respect the sanctity of human life.

That we continue to board these buses that have a habit for repeatedly disrespecting the very people who keep them in business shows that we are more comfortable playing victim than we are taking action. The next time you find yourself contemplating whether to raise your voice in a badly driven vehicle, just remember it could be the difference between life and death.