Grand changes will restore calm on our killer roads

When a City Shuttle bus overturned in the Nairobi CBD early this week, the late Transport minister John Michuki must have turned with rage in his final resting place. He must have been furious that chaos still reign in the transport sector. Lives are being lost in a scale that should not only attract stern action from the Government, but heads must also roll. The impunity displayed on our roads is symptomatic of the lethargy in our authorities. Ideally, the Government has blood on its hands now that nearly 200 lives were lost in December alone. These victims were breadwinners for their families and young promising people whose contribution to nation-building has been needlessly ended.

Now that Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia has been retained, he must oversee an epic shift in the passenger transport sector to restore sanity on our roads. He must have that fire in the belly and face the cabal of killers masquerading as matatu owners or operators. It must not be business as usual for him, the Government and Kenyans themselves. When the famous Michuki Rules were introduced, many Kenyans backed them and even walked to work, until all the Passenger Service Vehicles (PSVs) complied.

Not many people believed that matatus could have safety belts, working speed governors and carry only seated passengers. Within a few weeks, all PSVs had all these specs and the crew were smartly dressed. Order and absence of shouting at bus stages was a relief to millions of Kenyans who depend on PSVs for transport. Today, we are worse than before Michuki laid down the rules. The retrogression from order and discipline has been phenomenal.

Can Mr Macharia rally the required goodwill? Does he have the mettle to change the sector and assure Kenyans of their safety on the roads? Does he have the vision and the drive? Can he inspire the mighty and the lowly towards restoring sanity on our roads? Obviously, he will need political goodwill all the way from the Head of State to the common man on the street.

For far too long, public transport has been dominated by cartels that have low regard for human life. Profit is their motivating factor. Any charlatan who can raise a few hundred thousands of shillings can buy any contraption and put it on the road as a PSV. The owner then looks for anyone who can hold the steering wheel and another who can menacingly demand bus fare and the venture gets started. That is how Kenya has left millions of Kenyans at the mercy of PSVs. It is as unfortunate as it can get. That is why you need to say a little prayer every time you board a matatu.

With the unequivocal backing from the Head of State, Macharia must dismantle the cartels in the PSV sector. The Head of State will no longer need political support from disorganised groupings such as the matatu owners and operators and they must toe the line. For a start, all buses must be built properly with all safety concerns taken care of. The idea of forming Saccos was a step in the right direction and it must now be made better. They must be made fewer with strict rules of engagement. Those that flout traffic rules must be punished heavily.

Macharia and the Saccos should also explore ways of having a workable cashless system of paying fares. This was mooted in the past and it is time to implement it. This will curb the rush among PSV crew to make more money while disregarding traffic rules. Eventually, the crew will be salaried employees in a well-structured system. It has been done in countries such as Rwanda and it can be replicated here.

Finally, we must review all our road designs including bumps, markings, rails and lighting. Do they enhance road safety? Do they facilitate faster movement? Still, the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) must be disbanded if it cannot get out of its deep slumber. Erecting a few targeted road blocks at night to administer acloblow is not the only thing Kenyans crave from NTSA.

-The writer is Revise Editor at The Standard, Weekend Editions. [email protected]